A handheld stabilizer comprises a handle provided with a handheld portion and a connecting portion. The stabilizer includes a ball head mechanism mounted between the connecting portion and a photographing device and adapted for adjusting the position of the photographing device. A control mechanism is adapted for controlling the motion of the ball head mechanism after receiving a location signal from the photographing device indicating that one or more human faces are not centered within a predefined location range in a screen of the photographing device. The control mechanism adjusts the position of the photographing device causing the one or more human faces to be centered within the predefined location range in the screen of the photographing device, so that a photographing function that tracks human faces is realized.