Try some more simple approaches to lighting and modifying that single light, instead of using every tool in your toolbox. Just because you have access to a handful of strobes doesn't mean you always need to use them. Doing so, and changing the angle in relation to the model can create dramatic shadows and stunning photos. Getting Started With ISO: A Beginner’s Guideįamed fashion photographer Helmut Newton was famous for using only a single light.
How to Choose the Correct ISO Setting for Your Shot.The Rule of Equivalent Exposure (With Quick Quiz).How Shutter Speed Affects What You Photograph.Learn More About Shutter Speed and ISO Below: In a studio, since you can make use of artificial lighting to compensate for low light, try shooting at lower ISO values.
Have the ISO set to the lowest possible for your camera, so you get neat noise free images. If you happen to use lenses longer than focal length 100mm (35mm equivalent), then make sure to have the shutter speed greater than ( 1/focal length) taking the crop factor into account. Note: Since you are shooting in a studio, you will not be using longer lenses. Because of the strobes, there will be virtually no difference shooting at 1/100, 1/125, 1/160 or even 1/200th of a second.
Set your camera to manual mode, set the ISO to 100 (or 200 if you don't have 100) and the shutter speed to 1/125. Also consider setting up portrait shots when your subject looks off-camera, up or down, or to one side.Studio shooting camera settings are pretty simple and straightforward. When shooting, try and capture a range of expressions so you can pick which you prefer when back on the computer. A slight change in facial expression – such as whether they smile or not – can radically change the entire feel of the photo. How your subjects stand, pose and look will have a dramatic affect on your results. Either way will help you to position your subjects off-centre for a more attractive and dynamic composition.
The tried-and-tested pro technique is to set the central AF point, half-press the shutter button to focus on the eyes/head, then recompose to position them off to one side before fully pressing the button.Īlternatively, set AF points in the top corners and position them over your subject's eyes/head and take your shot.
To help with pinpoint focusing, manually select a single autofocus (AF) point. With tightly composed photos, focus on the eyes with wider compositions, focus on the head. In low light (indoors and outside), you may need to increase it to ISO800, 1600 or even 3200! A little grain is infinitely better than a blurry, useless photo. While in Av mode and maintaining a wide aperture, to increase your shutter speed, simply increase your ISO (from ISO100 to ISO400, say). This will also help to ensure sharp shots and avoid camera-shake as you'll be shooting portraits handheld, more often than not. To avoid motion blur appearing, you'll need to use a fast shutter speed. People tend to blink and move around a lot. How your subjects stand and pose will have a dramatic affect on your results Fast shutter for people pics This is why telephoto lenses are favoured over wide-angle lenses for portraits, as it further knocks backgrounds out of focus to make people more prominent in the scene. A wide-angle lens will capture more depth of field compared to a telephoto lens. A telephoto (over 70mm) lens captures a narrower angle of view, and less of your subject's surroundings will appear in frame.įocal length also affects depth of field (DoF). A wide-angle (around 18mm) lens captures a wider angle of view, so more of your subject's surroundings will be in shot. Your choice of lens has a big impact on your portrait photos. You'll be snapping that perfect shot in no time! Lens choice Take a look at these 10 quick tips for better portrait photography. Is it your choice of lens? Your model? Your compositions? You've got the basics down, the correct equipment and just the right studio space but something's still not quite right. We've just popped over the max sync speed at 1/320 sec 10 tips for better portrait photography WTF? What have we done? Nothing that bad.