Shutter speed portrait

10 Tips for Stunning Portrait Photography

By Serena Dzenis

Verified Expert

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Tip #1. Use a Wide Aperture
Tip #2. Fast Shutter Speed
Tip #3. Increase the ISO
Tip #4. Exposure Compensation
Tip #5. Lens Choice
Tip #6. Where to Focus
Tip #7. Experiment with Lighting
Tip #8. Fill the Frame
Tip #9. Subject Placement
Tip #10. Communicate

They say that the eyes are like windows to the soul. That’s one of the reasons why portrait photography can be so fascinating. The best portraits in the world convey much more than just a simple glance – rather, they evoke emotional responses and allow us to identify with the person that we are gazing at.

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However, taking someone’s portrait can also be a difficult task, particularly when you aren’t really sure what you’re doing. What it comes down to though is that everyone always wants to look their best. So how can you improve your skills and capture images of people that they’ll be happy with?

From camera settings to practical techniques, this article will take a look at some of the most useful things you can do to make better portraits. Whether you are hoping to capture an image of a loved one or to really get professional and start photographing models, follow these top tips and you’ll find yourself producing stunning portrait photography in no time.

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See also: What is Aperture? An Introduction to Aperture in Photography

Tip #1. Use a Wide Aperture

Taking someone’s portrait is a lot different to most other forms of photography. You’ve probably been wondering which settings to use, particularly in terms of the aperture. Generally speaking, when taking a portrait of a person, the idea is to be able to isolate them from the background. This way, you can draw attention to them rather than having them get lost in the mix of the surrounds.

A wide aperture helps you to isolate your subject from the background. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

Depending on your focal length, shooting at a wider aperture, such as f/2.0 or f/3.2, will allow you to have a shallower depth of field. This means that the person will be in focus but the background will be blurred for a creamy bokeh effect. This will focus the viewer’s attention to the personality of your subject, rather than on what’s behind them.

See also: Ultimate Guide to Achieving Beautiful Bokeh

Tip #2. Fast Shutter Speed

The shutter speed is one of the most important things in photography, along with the aperture and ISO. Together, they form the Exposure Triangle. On its own, the shutter speed of your camera is responsible for two very important things: changing the brightness of your image and creating different effects by either freezing the motion or blurring the action.

A slow shutter speed can result in blurred movement. Photo by: 'Stefan Keller, Pixabay'.

You can experiment with the shutter speed, depending on what you are hoping to achieve. However, for most traditional portraits, it is best to use a fast shutter speed so that you can capture the moment without any blur. A typical portrait during the daytime without using flash is best taken with a shutter speed of at least 1/200th of a second handheld or 1/15th of a second on a tripod.

See also: How to Use Complementary Colours in Photography

Tip #3. Increase the ISO

The ISO is the final factor in the Exposure Triangle. It is a measurement of the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor, which can affect how bright or dark your photo will be. A lower ISO means that your camera will be less sensitive to light, while a higher ISO means that it will be more sensitive. The latter means that you’ll be able to produce a brighter image in a shorter amount of time, though the trade-off is that the level of noise will increase.

Increasing the ISO is important for low light portrait photography. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

As with all other genres of photography, it is best to use the lowest ISO that you can for the lighting conditions. This will allow you to reduce the risk of ending up with grainy portraits. However, increasing the ISO with portrait photography has its benefits.

If you’re shooting on-location in lowlight, such as at a wedding in a church, then you’ll more than likely need to increase the ISO in order to achieve sharp portraits. This is especially true if you’ll be shooting handheld. Another situation in which you might use a higher ISO is when you want to reduce the aperture to something like f/8 or f/11, in order to have more of your subject in focus.

So the next time that you’re taking someone’s portrait, try increasing the ISO to around 400 or 800. In some situations, you may even need to use an even higher ISO. Increasing the ISO also means that you’ll be able to shoot with a faster shutter speed in lowlight conditions, which means that you’ll be able to reduce motion blur. The result will be sharp portraits that everyone will be happy with.

Tip #4. Exposure Compensation

Most cameras these days have in-built exposure metering, meaning that they will automatically determine the amount of light in the scene and produce an exposure that balances the bright and dark areas of the image. However, this can often mean that you’ll end up with a portrait that appears to be too dark, as the camera tries to take the background into consideration.

Make use of the in-built exposure metering in modern cameras. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

Exposure compensation refers to what you do when you manually change the exposure so that it is different from the automatic reading, in order to achieve a proper exposure. This is one of the easiest ways to adjust your camera’s exposure and can be very handy in portrait photography, particularly if there is backlighting. One of the most common mistakes in portrait photography is to underexpose due to bright background. So rather than underexposing and producing a lacklustre portrait, try to compensate by dialling the exposure up slightly to lighten the image.

See also: Ultimate Guide to Long Exposure

Tip #5. Lens Choice

You probably don’t need us to tell you that different lenses do different things. There are so many lenses on the market to choose from and not all of them are suited to portrait photography. Depending on your style, what works for you may not work for someone else. However, there are some lenses out there that are better for portraits than others.

The type of lens you use can affect your portrait photography. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

The most common focal length used for portrait photography is the 85mm lens, which typically comes with a wide aperture of around f/1.2 or f/1.8. This lens is particularly useful for natural light portraits, when you’re shooting both indoors and out. It’s also great for using in the studio and at the distance that you’ll need to be away from your subject in order to get them into focus, you might notice that it will give you some great bokeh if you open the aperture up all the way.

The other most commonly used lens for making portraits is the 50mm, which also usually comes with a wider aperture of around f/1.4 or f/1.8. It’s great for when you need to have more of the background included in your shot, such as for environmental portraits. This is when you photograph someone within their usual environment, such as their home or workplace, so you need to include some of the surroundings to give the portrait some context. Again, this type of lens can create beautiful bokeh when the aperture is opened up wide for a shallow depth of field, meaning that you’ll be able to isolate your subject from the background in an effective way.

While it may seem pretty straightforward to most, choosing where to focus in portrait photography can be confusing for some. Have you ever taken someone’s portrait, only to realise later on that your eyes keep getting drawn back to their nose or their hair? This is a surefire way to know that your focus may be a little bit off.

Focus on the eyes for maximum impact. Photo by: 'Josh Clifford, Pixabay'.

In general, when taking a portrait, the aim is to focus on your subject’s eyes. There’s that old adage that the “eyes are the windows to the soul” and in portrait photography, this couldn’t be more true. As humans, we are constantly scanning the environment for faces that we recognise and when we find one, we immediately search that face for the eyes. By focusing on your subject’s eyes, you’ll be drawing the viewer into the image in a natural fashion, as they intrinsically search for a face and connection through eye contact.

Having said that, if you are taking someone’s portrait and their eyes are obscured or the emphasis is meant to be on a different body part, such as their lips for an advertisement on lipstick, then you should focus on the element that is most important and to which you want to draw attention.

Tip #7. Experiment with Lighting

Lighting is one of the most vital components to creating a stunning portrait. By manipulating the light, you can convey different messages and emotions, which can make your images all the more powerful. You can also use lighting to emphasise different compositional elements within a portrait for a stunning effect.

Lighting can change the atmosphere of your portraits. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

Understanding lighting is the key to great portrait photography. If you’ve never tried to use studio lighting before, then it pays to get the lights out and to practice taking some portraits. Experiment with placing a lighting source at different angles. You can then examine how the light falls upon your subject, illuminating different areas of their face and the atmosphere that it creates.

Some types of lighting will be more flattering than others. With classical portrait photography, it’s important to become familiar with how much light you will need to use, the way that shadows will fall across your subject’s face and the angle that you will need to shoot at for the effect that you’re after. Different types of lighting will suit different scenarios, so identify what it is that you want to communicate with your image and then adjust the lighting to convey that message through the portrait.

Tip #8. Fill the Frame

Filling the frame in portrait photography adds instant impact to an image by reducing the ability for the viewer’s eyes to stray. Instead, your subject becomes the main focus of the shot.

Filling the frame adds impact. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

For most typical portraits, filling the frame can also create a sense of intimacy. There is nothing else to look at apart from your subject’s face, so the viewer is immediately drawn into the most important part of the image – the eyes. By taking in the subject’s expression with the interplay of shadows and light, the viewer is able to immediately get a feeling for what the image is trying to convey.

See also: Ultimate Guide to Composition in Photography

Tip #9. Subject Placement

When figuring out where to place a subject in a portrait, many photographers find it difficult to move beyond the Rule of Thirds. Some even find it hard to think about placing the subject anywhere else but front and centre in the shot.

Subject placement can be made all the more interesting when you break the rules of composition. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

Rather than thinking about where you place your subject, think instead about how you will fill the frame with their most important features, particularly if you are taking an image close-up. If you will be shooting more than just their face and would like to have their entire body in the shot, then think about how the background and their posture will affect the overall image. Are they gazing to the side and if so, is their line of sight departing too quickly from the frame? Make sure that you place them in such a way that the viewer’s eye is not led astray.

Tip #10. Communicate

One of the biggest factors in achieving your creative vision with portrait photography is to communicate openly and often with your subject. If you have an idea about how you want them to pose, then by all means, tell them! If their arm is a little low or they need to lift their chin a bit, then verbalise it so that they’ll know what to do.

Communication is the key to a great portrait. Photo by: 'Pxhere'.

A little direction goes a long way. Don’t be afraid to talk to your subject to let them know how they can help you to improve the shot. After all, they can’t see what you’re seeing through the camera, so be upfront and let them know. If they look great, then go ahead and say it. Compliments are a great form of encouragement and can help your subject to feel more at ease – the result being that you might be able to make a better portrait.

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About the author: Serena Dzenis is a landscape photographer based in Iceland. You can find more of her work on her website or by following her on Facebook and Instagram.

Have you got any tips for portrait photography? What has worked for you and what hasn't? Share your comments below!

What Shutter Speed Is Best for Portraits?

When you first learn about portrait photography, shutter speed may be the last thing on your mind since it does not seem as important as in something like action or night photography.

In this article I will explain why shutter speed is important in portrait photography and what the correct shutter speed should be.

If you are handholding the camera, the shutter speed for the best portraits should be at least 1/200th of a second or 1/15th of a second on a tripod, with the 1/200th of a second being a commonly used due to the synch speed of most flash units.

But in some cases, especially where the subject can be completely stationary (not a portrait of kids), the shutter speed may not be as important. Read on to discover which shutter speed is the best for your type of portraits.

Factors Portrait Shutter Speed Depends On

Portrait shutter speed depends on several factors such as the image sensor, the length of time you expose the film to light and the object you are capturing. It also depends on any motion. The motion may either be frozen or blurry, depending on the shutter speed. It is therefore necessary that you understand how it works.

For portraits freezing action, you may need to use a faster shutter speed. But if you want to capture movement, you may need a slower shutter. Thus, you can use a slower shutter when photographing waterfalls or landscapes in your portrait. However, for most portraits, the best shutter speed should be about 1/200. But you may need to make adjustments depending on the type of portrait you want to capture including its background.

Equipment Considerations

The equipment you use is an important factor on which the portrait shutter depends on. So the results you get will depend on whether you will be using a tripod or holding the camera in your hands. Also, the lens of the camera is another vital consideration that may impact the images.

Using a flash in areas of low light is likely to help you maintain a fast shutter speed.

Environment

The environment in which you will be taking the camera is vital. Under the moonlight, you would need as much as 30 second shutter speed to get the desired portrait without external lighting. But if you will be taking the portrait on a bright and sunny day, using a shutter speed of between 1/500 s and 1/1000s will suffice. It helps to reduce capturing portraits that appear to be overexposed.

A faster shutter of about 1/640 s may be the most appropriate if you will be taking your portraits midday. Thus, controlling the brightness may be an important aspect when taking your portraits within varying environments. But when taking the photos in a darker condition, you may need a long shutter speed for brighter portraits. You may also need to pay attention to motion blur and movements, which may also play a role in determining the shutter speed you choose.

Outdoors

Many factors influence outdoor portrait photo taking, so you need to understand how the camera setting will work in a given environment. In most cases, it may require adjusting the shutter speed to suit the situation you find yourself in.

As you may be aware already, outdoor portraits in broad daylight may get more light than indoor portraits especially ones without flash, therefore shutter speed required would not be as slow as indoors.

If you are taking portraits of a single subject, an aperture of about f/4 may be the most ideal. But if you are shooting a group photo a less open aperture may be the most appropriate to get all your subjects sharp. Thus, the aperture, which refers to how wide your camera lenses open, counts.

Flash

Having a flash on your camera is a plus if you want to use it to take portraits. A flash could give you a bounce or pop light filling the shadows. Also, you may use it to add some light to your portrait. You can do this by varying the flash angle to add some interesting things to the portrait. The flash comes in handy when taking portraits for weddings and family functions.

A flash helps the photographer take well-lit portraits without spending so much money on expensive lighting kits. If you know how to use the flash properly you are likely to achieve great looks and end up with quality portraits.

Having a flash gives you the portability you may need without carrying extra gear. It allows you to use flash off or flash on camera depending on the situation you find yourself in. Also, a flash helps to give your portraits better exposure enabling your clients choose images that are well lit. It thus, gives them a variety of images to choose from. Also, it means that you spend as little time as possible working on and editing images.

But the challenge you are likely to face is to choose a flash system that is good for you. However, if you choose one that you can use in TTL or manual mode, you will have a wider range of options during your portrait-taking sessions.

Also, it may require that you choose a flash system compatible with the camera you will be using. Ensure that it works with the camera brand. Such a camera will give better results since setting it up is easier. In addition, you will spend as little time as possible learning and experimenting using the camera.

The through-the-lens (TTL) mode allows the flash to meter the light before choosing how much light to emit when taking the photo. The results may vary depending on the frame, but it can be helpful when you want the camera to take images under different conditions without changing the settings. It allows you to choose less light or more light depending on the kind of portrait you want to achieve.

On the other hand, the manual mode will set your power output between 1/128 and 1/1. This will give you control over the light your camera can fire on the subject. Also, it allows you to adjust the light as you move along. Further, it gives a more consistent output since it may require that you set it once and use it whenever you want. However, you have the freedom of choosing any other new settings you may want at any time.

What Speed Is Too Slow for Portraits?

Shutter speed is critical in determining the kind of photos you get. A shutter speed slower than 1/125s will not be fast enough for an action portrait. It will only be fast enough to stop slow motion of a person.

Light is important when taking images and determines the type of portraits you end up with. For handheld photographs, different scenes require different adjustments. So the aperture and shutter speed will be responsible for the amount of light hitting the sensor and the depth of the field.

However, photographing at night, choosing a higher shutter speed may result in underexposed portraits. In this case, the shutter may close too fast and may not allow enough light in. On the contrary, choosing a too slow speed overexposes the scenes and will still create a blurry motion. This may make it difficult to get sharp pictures.

Also, if you take the images from a distance, you will need a longer focal length which requires a faster shutter speed. The image may shake a lot, and more moves will be in the frame. As such, it may be necessary that you balance this by increasing the speed of your shutter to make the images sharp.

Shutter Speed for Family Portraits

Generally, the shutter speed should be twice the focal length, for example if you use a 100mm prime lens the shutter speed should be 1/200. Thus, alongside ISO and aperture, the shutter speed is the most important factor that contributes to the photos’ exposure. Therefore, knowing how to use the shutter speed will determine the type of photos and images you get. You are likely to have more creative shots that are sharp and good to look at.

Kids never stay still and can suddenly move around, which means you need to increase your shutter speed as compared to one adult sitting still patiently. Anything faster than 1/100 could be fine but if you have enough light, you might as well freeze the action at 1/200 or 1/400.

Of course, it will guarantee you better results if you take photos at a shutter speed of between 1/100 and 1/600th. Such a speed allows one to freeze the movements of objects and increase clarity. Therefore, if you are interested in having sharp family portrait images, avoid slower shutter speed.

Now that you’ve learned about the best shutter speed for portraits, how about you understanding more about the shutter speed in general? Click on the following link to learn more about shutter speed, and its dependence on the aperture and ISO.

Best camera settings for portrait photography

What settings are best for portrait photography? In other words, what settings can you consistently use to create stunning portraits?

In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about portrait photography settings. I'll cover both natural light portraiture and flash portraiture. And whether you're new to photography or a seasoned pro, these tips are sure to come in handy.

Best Camera Settings for Natural Light Portrait Photography

Although this is not a requirement, I suggest you start with manual mode. This way you have more creative control over the exposure - and of course, you may take a little longer to shoot your images than when shooting in AUTO mode, but you have much better control over how your camera will look final image.

Best ISO for portraits

I recommend that you choose the ISO first, mainly because it's easy to set and forget. For natural light portrait photography, ISO should almost always be your camera's base setting (ISO 100, ISO 160, and ISO 200 are the three most common base values). This way you avoid excessive noise and get the best possible image quality.

When shooting in low light, you may need to increase the ISO, but do it carefully - increase the ISO only after you have widened the aperture and decreased the shutter speed.

Best aperture for portraits

Next, I recommend that you decide on the ideal aperture. There is no universal approach; instead, you will need to determine whether you want the background to be blurry or sharp.

If you want a blurry background, use an aperture like f/1.4. But if you want the background in focus (or you're hoping to maximize image sharpness), choose an aperture value of f/4, f/5.6, or f/8.

In general, portrait photographers prefer a blurred background approach to separate the subject from the background. So, if you like this style, then a wide aperture is the best option.

However, be careful not to go too far. You don't want to use such a shallow depth of field that your subject's nose is out of focus!

Best shutter speed for portraits

At this point, you've set the ISO for image quality, and you've set the aperture for aesthetics.

So, what to do next? You need to choose an exposure. Here's what you do: just check the in-camera exposure meter and adjust your shutter speed until you get a central (i.e. well exposed) value. Then take a test shot and look at your camera's LCD and histogram.

Make sure your histogram is as far to the right as possible, but without blowout. If the image is too dark, increase the shutter speed.

After you choose your exposure, think about the length of your exposure. And ask yourself: is this shutter speed enough for a clear shot? Isn't it too much? After all, a well-exposed image is worthless if it comes out blurry.

The general rule of thumb for blur-free handheld photography is that shutter speed should be inversely proportional to twice the focal length of your lens. For example, if you are using a 100mm lens, you should set the maximum shutter speed to 1/200s to avoid camera shake and image blur. It can be twice as long if you have strong hands, or shorter if the lighting conditions allow.

There are exceptions to this rule. If you use a tripod, have in-camera stabilization, or use a lens with built-in stabilization, then you can shoot at slower shutter speeds without any problems. However, make sure your shutter speed matches this recommendation (and always take one or two test shots and then zoom in on the LCD to make sure everything is in focus).

By the way, if your shutter speed is too slow, as you increase it, you will either have to widen the aperture or raise the ISO to compensate for the loss of light. Any of these techniques work well, so you need to determine whether you are willing to sacrifice sharpness or quality.

Best Camera Settings for Portrait Flash Photography

Flash portrait photography may seem complicated, but the basic settings are actually quite simple. Note that they usually remain the same whether you use a built-in flash, a detachable flash, or a studio strobe. Now I will describe the settings for using studio light when shooting a portrait without blending with natural light.

Best shutter speed for flash portraits

When shooting with flash, shutter speed does not matter much. Simply set your shutter speed to the flash sync speed, which is typically 1/200s (if you go over the sync speed, you'll get a dark band running around the edges of your images). You can slow down the sync speed, but I generally recommend sticking to it for the duration of the photo shoot.

Best Aperture for Flash Portraits

Aperture is one of three variables you can use to control flash portrait exposure (with ISO and flash output as the other two). You can technically choose an aperture based on depth of field considerations, but the wider the aperture, the less flash power needed for a good exposure, so you need to be careful not to go beyond those limits.

A good starting point is f/8 or so, but feel free to adjust it depending on your aesthetic needs (or exposure).

Best ISO for flash portraits

As with natural light portraits, use as low an ISO value as possible for optimal image quality. So set the ISO to your camera's base option and forget about it. You might consider raising your ISO if you need to increase exposure without changing aperture or light output, but in general ISO should remain the same.

Best flash output for portraits

When working with flash you have to deal with one more variable: flash power. You can change the power settings of your strobe to achieve the correct exposure for portraits. Therefore, first determine the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Then adjust the strobe power until you get a good result.

Another tip for setting up a portrait

One final tip: set the camera's LCD brightness level to 4 or 5. Make sure the LCD brightness is not set to Auto. It will be difficult for you to measure the exposure level if the brightness is constantly changing. So check your camera settings, set the LCD brightness level manually and leave the camera at the same setting for future photo shoots.

Best camera settings for portrait photography: Conclusion

Well, now you should know exactly what settings to use for beautiful portrait photos. With a little practice, you'll become a pro at shooting portraits. So go shoot with your camera. Have some fun. And practice exposure!

Translation of the article: Olesya Zalevskaya
Photo in the material: Craig Bekta
Cover photo: Vitaly Shokhan

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10 camera setup tips for portrait photography

In this article, I will give you 10 camera setup tips for great portraits. Use them, but first test, experiment and make the necessary adjustments before each photo shoot in a new location.

These tips apply when you are in control of the lighting and it is constant (not changing) and the camera and subject are stationary.

Here is a summary of what you will learn.

Portrait settings and equipment.

Lens - to make the model in portrait shots more beautiful and proportional, use a lens with a focal length in the range of 85-135 mm

Tripod - use it when you and the subject are not moving.

Remote control or cable release – Use when using a tripod.

Shooting mode - Shoot in manual or Av (A) aperture priority mode.

ISO - low value, in the range of 100-400, sometimes it is necessary to increase the value if a faster shutter speed is required.

Focus mode - autofocus, set spot autofocus to the center point and preferably use the back button to focus (more about it in this lesson).

Burst or single frame shooting Single frame shooting.

Aperture - between f/2 and f/4 for a single portrait (the background will be blurred) or f/5.6-f/8 for group portraits.

Shutter speed - no longer than 1/200 when shooting handheld or 1/15 on a tripod (shutter speed should be faster if photographing children).

White Balance - Select an appropriate preset for the lighting conditions you have at the time of shooting, or set a custom balance.

Let's look at each of them in more detail.

1. Which lens to use

17mm lens - strangely shaped model head, distorted.

70mm lens - note there is now less background in the frame and the model's face has a more normal shape.

In short, to get a good close-up portrait you need a so-called “Short Telephoto Lens”.

A telephoto lens compresses the perspective, that is, it sort of brings the background closer to the model, and also allows it to be blurred if necessary, and most importantly, it does not distort the face of the person being portrayed. Using a wide angle lens isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it will distort your subject and can make their face look long.

If you're shooting a non-close-up portrait and want to show your model in a waist-length or full-length surrounding, or if you're shooting a group portrait, a moderate wide-angle lens might be a good choice.

27mm (Full Frame), ISO 400, f/5.0, 1/30”. A moderately wide-angle lens allowed me to show the environment of the person being portrayed.

FR 105mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/200”. Using a longer focal length will show less background and make the subject's face more true to life.

2. Use a tripod

When I tell my students about using a tripod for portrait photography, I often get confused and ask WHY?

Many photographers find that using a tripod limits their creativity. But I will tell you two reasons why I recommend using it in some cases, well, whether you use it or not is up to you.

First, using a tripod causes you to slow down.

Sometimes it's necessary!

It will be easier for you to check all the settings, analyze the light and take a test shot. Trust me, you will get better results when you slow down a bit and think before you press the shutter button.

Second, you can get out from behind the camera and come face to face with the model.

If you want to get the best emotions of the model and establish a rapport with her - it's damn hard to do when you can't look the person in the eyes.

Use a tripod for better eye contact and communication with your model.

Take a few shots without a tripod and ask the model to pose. Now try to mount the camera on a tripod, focus on the model, set all the settings and just chat with the model. Engage the model in a conversation and take a few shots. See which images are better, in which case more natural emotions? But more importantly, ask the model what occasion she felt most comfortable being photographed on.

Be sure to turn off the image stabilization feature when using a tripod. This can lead to blurry footage, which is how the stabilizer behaves when the camera is mounted on a tripod.

3. Use the remote shutter release

Using the remote shutter release will help you get clearer shots by avoiding camera shake when you press the shutter button.

This tip works with tip #2. In addition, with a tripod, you can also use a slower shutter speed (assuming that you are photographing an adult, children tend to move constantly).

You can get better results without hiding behind the camera, which is very important when photographing children.

Children will respond better to your face than to the lens.

4. Shoot in manual mode

Which camera mode to choose for portrait photography is your next big step.

I'll tell you which modes I use for different situations, not just for portraits. It's pretty simple actually - just follow these guidelines:0003

If your camera is mounted on a tripod, shoot in manual mode.
When shooting handheld, shoot in aperture priority.

I follow this about 95% of the time.

I also use a tripod for exposure bracketing for HDR, for night photography, and for any kind of long exposure photography.

For most everyday shooting, such as street or travel photography, I shoot in aperture priority mode. The only exception where I switch to shutter priority mode is panning.

Now about the manual mode. As I mentioned above, using a tripod makes you slow down. The same thing happens when working in manual mode, so using a tripod and manual mode works well together.

In addition, using the manual mode gives you another plus - that you set all the settings yourself, and they will not change even if the lighting or other factors change around you.

This also means that you will actually have the same settings for every frame in the series, which is very important because when using aperture priority mode, even slight camera movement can cause the shutter speed to change.

This series of shots is straight from the camera - there is no processing involved. Pay attention to exposure and consistency of color tones. This is Miriam, I made her portrait on the porch of her house in Cuba. The next year I returned, visited her house and gave her some prints!

Whether you're working in a portrait setting (whether it's commercial or just shooting friends), consistent burst quality is a big plus.

When you show your models images on your LCD screen, the exposure will be the same everywhere. You'll look more professional, even if you don't want to. J

Another side benefit is that the model will have more confidence in you and your abilities. As a result, you will be more trusted.

It can also mean that they are more willing to work with you on different poses and ideas, open up and give you great emotions for portraits.

It may seem like a small thing, but your model's trust is priceless!

This is one of my favorite shots from that series. I color corrected this shot and then simply applied it to the other shots in the series in Lightroom, another huge plus for shooting in manual mode.

5. Which ISO should I choose?

For portraits, you want the best possible image quality.

Therefore, the ISO value should be set as low as possible to avoid unnecessary noise in photographs.

For best results, stay in the ISO 100 - 400 range. But again, make sure you use a suitable shutter speed that won't blur handheld shots.

If your image is blurry due to model or camera movement, it doesn't matter how quiet it is.

I suggest you start with ISO 400 and lower or increase it as needed. This means that if you're shooting in the shade, in low light, or indoors using window light, you'll probably need to increase it. Don't be afraid to use ISO 800 or even 1600 if necessary. But remember that you can also open the aperture if there is not enough light.

This was shot indoors in low light at ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/200”. I used a 24-105mm f/4 lens, so I couldn't open the aperture any wider. And to make the shutter speed shorter, I used a higher ISO.

This is the “tambourine dance” you need to do to find the right balance of the three elements of exposure (ISO, aperture and shutter speed). Once you've tuned one, you'll have to compensate for the others by adjusting them. Before shooting, always take a few test shots and review them on your LCD monitor before starting a photo shoot.

Make sure you have a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake when shooting handheld and subject movement when using a tripod. See item #9 below for more information on excerpts.

6. Focus mode

Use spot auto focus preferably on the center point, because it is the most accurate, do not let the camera choose what to focus on.

Always focus on the model's eyes. If one eye is closer to the camera than the other, focus on the near one.

ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/400. I focused directly on her eye, which was closest to the camera. The other one is slightly out of focus at that aperture. If I focused on the second eye, then the near one would be out of focus, because of this the picture would be spoiled.

Also in terms of focus settings, choose Single Shot (AF-S) rather than Continuous (Servo or AF-C). It is necessary that the autofocus is locked on the subject, which is how we consider shooting stationary objects.

It is also useful to set the camera to focus using the rear AF-ON button. It's essentially a custom setting where you remove the autofocus feature from the shutter button and assign it to the back of the camera. Read more about this in this article.

The advantage of this method is that you do not have to focus every time if you and your subject are not moving. You can lock focus on a model. If you move a little or get closer to the model, just refocus and lock it again.

Lock the focus on the subject and shoot using the focus button AF-ON on the back of the camera. Settings: FR 17mm, ISO 100, f/9.0 s 1/5 second (using a tripod).

Since the camera may not be able to focus on the subject in low light conditions, the focus may simply shift back and forth, and you will miss a worthwhile shot.

7. Continuous shooting or single shooting?

The tip is simple, use time-lapse photography. You don't need to use burst mode and shoot 4-8 frames per second. Your camera is not a machine gun, and you do not play sports.

Learn to shoot single-frame by pressing the shutter button when you see a good expression on your subject's face.

Shooting a lot of shots won't give you the best results in portraiture, proven time and time again.

Burst mode often captures closed eyes and strange facial expressions. Once I got 30 photos (taken in burst mode) of a group portrait, and in not one frame of each person's eyes were open, and the expression of some was strange.

Avoid the temptation to use burst mode and shoot one frame at a time. It's good when there will be fewer photos to edit later.

Practice with the model or a group of people, talk to her or them. Press the shutter button when you see something good.

Be picky, wait for the right moment.

8. What aperture to use

I could give you a universal rule here, like "Always shoot portraits at f/5.6", but I won't. I will give you a starting point and then you need to think and make a decision for your situation.

For single person portraits, set the aperture between f/1. 8 and f/4. If you don't have a lens that opens that wide, invest in a good old 50mm f/1.8. It's inexpensive, but very good. Using such a wide aperture will help you make the background blurry and less distracting.

Be careful when shooting at a very wide aperture such as f/1.8 or even f/1.4 if your lens supports it. The depth of field is so shallow that you have to be very precise with the focus, and you can end up with sharp eyes, but the nose and ears may not fall into the depth of field and be blurry. If this is the case, then choose an aperture slightly narrower than f / 2.8 or f / 4.

Shot at f/1.8, 1/250”, ISO 400, as a demo.

Now look closer - how shallow is the depth of field at this aperture? It's just her sharp eye, and not even the whole eye! And we should get it perfectly sharp

f/1.8, 1/400 ”, ISO 400 - 85mm lens. Nice blurry background at this aperture, great, right?

This is a crop of the image above. Since the model was facing the camera directly, at f/2.8 I was able to get both eyes into the depth of field.

For portraits of a couple or groups, use a narrower aperture to get everyone in the depth of field, f/5.6 or f/8 is usually fine. Also, pay attention to how you place people in the group, it is important that they are not too far apart. By keeping everyone close to roughly the same plane, you can easily shoot at f/5.6 and get everyone sharp.

f/5.6 at 1/250", ISO 400

f/4.5 at 1/125", ISO 400. wider.

9. What shutter speed to use

In point #5 above I mentioned that you need to make sure you have a fast enough shutter speed so that the image is clear. Think about the minimum shutter speed you can use when shooting handheld, as well as how slow you can set when shooting on a tripod.

A tripod will keep the camera still at any shutter speed, even one second or longer. But what are the chances that your model will not move during this time? So choose your shutter speed according to your scene.

Handheld at ISO 500, f/4.5 at 1/125”

If you are working with an adult or teenager and they can stay relatively still, you can probably go down to 1/15 or even 1/8 second. In general just ask the model to be relatively still under this condition, usually only needed in low light conditions.

But if you are working with children or several people in a group, use a slower shutter speed. Start at 1/125 or shorter and adjust as needed. If you get blurry images of a person, make your shutter speed faster. If you don't want to adjust the aperture, you need to increase the ISO (See #5).

10. White Balance

I recommend choosing one of the white balance presets on your camera, such as daylight or shade. Choose the one that best suits the lighting conditions. When shooting with window light, take test shots and see which one looks best, which skin tone is more natural.

The Shadow preset is used here

The Shadow preset is also used here to add golden light to the image.

Of course, I could be wrong, but in my opinion, people look better in warm undertones than in cold ones with bluish skin tones.

Why I recommend using preset instead of using auto white balance (AWB) for the same reasons to shoot in manual mode. Consistency and consistency from one frame to the next. Also, a neutral hue isn't always the best option for portraits - warm is the best choice. AWB makes the hue neutral.

You can also set a manual white balance using a gray card if your lighting conditions do not change. But you will have to repeat the setting if you move or the light shifts or changes.

Custom white balance was set for this frame.

AWB tends to pick up color tones in people's clothing, trees, or anything else around the model in the image.