What are the best settings to use on my camera for outdoor portraits?

Jess

I have a Canon EOS 1000D and I read through the manual and everything, but there are so many settings and things to remember. I am interested in photography so I will eventually learn how to use all the settings, but I'd like to know which settings are best for outdoor portraits on a sunny day. Should I use P, Tv, Av, M, etc. The ISO, metering mode, etc. Any tips are also welcome :)
Thanks

Answer
Camera manuals tell the user how to control the shutter speed, lens aperture, ISO, white balance and generally how to use the camera

What you are asking is how to be a photographer.

That is something that will take some study on your part especially when it comes to shooting specific subjects.

In the case of shooting portraits, indoors or out, will require you to learn about portrait lighting, portrait composition and subject direction.

There are NO portrait settings on a fully adjustable camera like your fine 1000D. You no longer have a P&S camera that does everything for you. Now you are going to have to learn how to use your camera to get the shots you want.

Here is one link you may find helpful, but in the end, the fastest way to learn what you are asking is to take a class in photography.

Link on lighting:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Here is a checklist:

* Shoot in the shade to prevent harsh shadows
* Set the white balance for shade
* Use a medium telephoto lens
* Shoot with the lens aperture either wide open or one stop down
* Direct the subject into poses that are faltering for their face (you will want to visit a number of sites which have photos of people posing for portraits

Outdoor portrait camera settings?

E W

I'm having an early evening outdoor photo shoot at around 6 pm, assuming it's sunny and probably one hour before sunsets. I want to know the best combination settings;

1. Which shooting mode (A, S, or Manual)
2. Which ISO
3. Which Exposure Compensation.
4. Which White Balance

I have a Nikon D90, 24-70mm F2.8 lens and SB800 speed light (is speed light needed?)

Your professional advice is greatly appreciated!
Best,

Answer
1. Whichever you need
2. Whichever you need
3. Use the light meter to determine the correct exposure
4. Shoot RAW, then it doesn't matter, because you can adjust in post processing
5. If there is not enough light, or if the background is too bright you may need flash

There is no way for us to tell you the settings to use in advance, since we have no way of knowing what the lighting conditions will be at the time of shooting. You need to learn how to make these decisions yourself.

Just make sure you don't shoot in harsh sunlight, find a shaded area. Don't use anything wider than 50mm for portraits. You may need a tripod.

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What type of a camera lens would you recommend for taking outdoor portraits?

Someone

I'm doing a shoot with my friend, and I own a Canon Rebel XSi.

I have a 50mm f/1.8 and the kit lens (18-55mm).

I'm thinking to use the 50mm, but are there any ones I should try out? I have money to get a new lens.

Answer
Yep the 50mm f/1.8 you already have its great for outdoor portraits. But if you want to get another lens for portraits the best option are fixed lenses because they tend to be sharper than zoom lenses. Also another advantage of using fixed lenses is that you get more creative because you are forced to step close or farther when trying to recompose your image, and you can get nice photos trying new angles and distances. Some photographers seem to anchor themselves to one spot when they have a zoom lens.

I for example, use the macro 2.8 L USM IS lens for outdoor portraits. I actually use that lens all the time, i just love it. Its great for portrait and macro and also i can get really cool macro shots from the face.

But you will learn that depening on the lens you get you will take different types of pictures. A wide angle lens will give you another bizarre point of view for portraits. I mean it all depends on what tyoe of portraits you want to do. Just image and decide which lens you want to work with.

My list of great portrait lenses.
macro 100 mm L USM IS
28-70mm
70-200mm
50mm 1.4 or 1.2
the 85mm one its amazing too

havea great day

Is this a good outdoor portrait lens?

Amanda

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Standard-Medium-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B00009XVCZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296024916&sr=8-1

I've read a lot of reviews that says it's great for indoor portraiture but I do mostly outdoor...
Suggestions?
&&& I just wanna say thanks to everyone who has helped me with ALL 5 billion of my questions over the last 24 hours. You guys are great!
Thanks Hondo. I'll order it asap!
Enzo--A wide angle lens?? You're the first person who's said anything about me needing a wide angle lens.

Answer
If it is good for indoor, then it will be good for outdoor as well.

What makes it good for indoor is that it has a very wide maximum aperture, which means it will allow more light to hit the camera's sensor in low light conditions (but you already know the relationship between lens aperture and light ...right?). If it were a 50mm f/4 lens, then it would still be a good outdoor portrait lens, but would not be a good indoor portrait lens.

The focal length (50mm) is what makes it a good portrait lens.
The max. aperture (f/1.4) is what makes it a good indoor lens.
If it is good for indoor, it will also be good for outdoor.

Seriously, you need to read a good book about photography. I would recommend a book called "Understanding Exposure." It is cheap, easy to read, and one of the best out there.



Enzo's answer below is very wrong. You most certainly do NOT want to use a wide angle lens for portraits. I am guessing that he did not read your question carefully.

Also, focal length has nothing to do with whether you use the lens indoor or outdoor.

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What kind of camera lens should I buy?

best camera lens for outdoor portraits image

Tamara

I have a canon rebel sxi and currenlty only have the standard lens that came with the camera. I am trying to get into some outdoor portrait photography. (currently practicing on anyone who is willing to let me). Is there a certain type/brand of lens that is better for outdoor portrait?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am new to the whole photography thing...

Answer
The lens you have is just about perfect for shooting outdoor portraits.

Have you tried using it? If you shoot in the shade, you will avoid a lot of problems associated around shooting people outdoors during the day.

You could buy a good Canon 50 mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 lens, but until you have your portrait shooting skills down, you may want to spend some money on more memory cards or even a 5 in 1, 42 inch reflector kit

What type of a camera lens would you recommend for taking outdoor portraits?

Someone

I'm doing a shoot with my friend, and I own a Canon Rebel XSi.

I have a 50mm f/1.8 and the kit lens (18-55mm).

I'm thinking to use the 50mm, but are there any ones I should try out? I have money to get a new lens.

Answer
Yep the 50mm f/1.8 you already have its great for outdoor portraits. But if you want to get another lens for portraits the best option are fixed lenses because they tend to be sharper than zoom lenses. Also another advantage of using fixed lenses is that you get more creative because you are forced to step close or farther when trying to recompose your image, and you can get nice photos trying new angles and distances. Some photographers seem to anchor themselves to one spot when they have a zoom lens.

I for example, use the macro 2.8 L USM IS lens for outdoor portraits. I actually use that lens all the time, i just love it. Its great for portrait and macro and also i can get really cool macro shots from the face.

But you will learn that depening on the lens you get you will take different types of pictures. A wide angle lens will give you another bizarre point of view for portraits. I mean it all depends on what tyoe of portraits you want to do. Just image and decide which lens you want to work with.

My list of great portrait lenses.
macro 100 mm L USM IS
28-70mm
70-200mm
50mm 1.4 or 1.2
the 85mm one its amazing too

havea great day

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What equipment do you need to start a home based photography biz?

best camera lens for outdoor portraits image

mlstyl123

I just bought the canon 40d. I have a 28-135mm lens. But that is all I have. I would like to start a small business taking outdoor portraits to begin with. I also would like to know what the best editing software is out there.

Answer
You have the camera and a decent portrait zoom.

Other things you would need(at a minumum from my experience):

A hotshoe flash for fill.
A softbox/Demb Diffuser/Lightsphere for the hotshoe flash to diffuse/soften the light.
Reflectors(white/silver/gold)
Tripod
Diffusing material - sometimes in direct sun, the light can be too bright and you'll want to cut it with soemthing like a pure white bedsheet or similar. It gives you a nice softbox light effect and not the direct, hard light.


Other things that would be nice, but not necessarily required:
An assistant
battery powered hotlights or flashes with umbrellas for portable light
a stand for holding the reflectors

The BEST editing software out there is Photoshop CS3. However, unless you are going to need extensive retouching or graphical design capabilities, I woul recommend looking into Adobe Lightroom of Photoshop Elements 6.0. Both will have 99% of what a photographer needs to do good post production work on their images.
Lightroom is $200 and Elements is $79(i believe).

I still use Photoshop CS2, only because I have been using Photoshop since version 7 and I know the tool and it's cheap to upgrade. If I were just starting out now, I would probably get Lightroom.

What's the best way to find a cheap lens (good for portraits) for a digital camera?

spooligan

I'm an aspiring photographer who's really into the artistic side of the field. I'm really into portraits and outdoor photography. I recently bought a $600 digital rebel xt but because i wasn't paying attention I didn't realize until too late that it came without a lens. So now i'm left with a camera with no lens. What's the best way to shop for a lens when you're on a low budget?

Answer
The Canon 50mm 1.8 for around $80 new makes a great portrait lens on a DSLR.

Not only is it one of the least expensive lenses available for your camera, it's also one of the sharpest.

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What are the best settings to use on my camera for outdoor portraits?

best camera lens for outdoor portraits image

Jess

I have a Canon EOS 1000D and I read through the manual and everything, but there are so many settings and things to remember. I am interested in photography so I will eventually learn how to use all the settings, but I'd like to know which settings are best for outdoor portraits on a sunny day. Should I use P, Tv, Av, M, etc. The ISO, metering mode, etc. Any tips are also welcome :)
Thanks

Answer
Camera manuals tell the user how to control the shutter speed, lens aperture, ISO, white balance and generally how to use the camera

What you are asking is how to be a photographer.

That is something that will take some study on your part especially when it comes to shooting specific subjects.

In the case of shooting portraits, indoors or out, will require you to learn about portrait lighting, portrait composition and subject direction.

There are NO portrait settings on a fully adjustable camera like your fine 1000D. You no longer have a P&S camera that does everything for you. Now you are going to have to learn how to use your camera to get the shots you want.

Here is one link you may find helpful, but in the end, the fastest way to learn what you are asking is to take a class in photography.

Link on lighting:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Here is a checklist:

* Shoot in the shade to prevent harsh shadows
* Set the white balance for shade
* Use a medium telephoto lens
* Shoot with the lens aperture either wide open or one stop down
* Direct the subject into poses that are faltering for their face (you will want to visit a number of sites which have photos of people posing for portraits

What aperture should I use for a 35mm film camera for an outdoor portrait?

nicolemnm

I have an assignment for photography to do an outdoor portrait of someone's face.
I want the face to be in focus, but the background to be somewhat blurred.
What aperture would cause this effect?

Thank you.

Answer
Outside, I'd go with the lowest (widest open) f-stop my lens would allow; then adjust your shutter speed to the lighting conditions. Outside I tend to go for the lowest film speed possible if there is ample light.

Another thing to remember is mm of the lens. If you use a longer lens the face will be less distorted than using shorter, or even wide angle lens.

Hope it helps!

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