Best settings for
portrait photography
How to find the best settings for portrait photography.
Use a Wide Aperture
A wide aperture (like f/1.4–f/2.8) gives portraits a beautiful blurred background while keeping your subject sharp. This creates depth, isolates your subject, and produces that professional, cinematic portrait look.
- • Start with f/1.8 for smooth background separation.
- • Use f/2–f/2.8 if you want the eyes sharp but still have soft bokeh.
- • Avoid f/1.2 indoors if subjects move a lot, focus gets too thin.
- • Use a narrower aperture for groups to keep everyone in focus.
Keep Shutter Speed Fast
A fast shutter speed keeps your portraits sharp by preventing motion blur from subject movement or camera shake. This is especially important for handheld shooting or photographing people who move naturally.
- • Use 1/125s or faster for standard portraits.
- • Go 1/250s or faster for kids, movement, or outdoor shoots.
- • Raise ISO slightly if needed, sharpness > noise.
- • Use your lens’s stabilization only as backup, not as the main fix.
Use the Lowest ISO
ISO affects image noise and clarity. Lower ISO values produce cleaner, smoother portraits with better skin tones and dynamic range. Avoid raising ISO unless necessary.
- • Use ISO 100 to 400 in bright environments for maximum clarity.
- • Indoors, aim for ISO 400 to 800 with a fast lens to keep noise low.
- • Avoid ISO 3200+ unless you have great lighting.
- • Check skin tones, noise is most noticeable there.
Focus on the Eyes
Eye-detection autofocus is the most important setting in modern portrait photography. Sharp eyes instantly elevate any image, even when the rest of the frame is softly blurred.
- • Turn on Eye AF or Face/Eye Detection on your camera.
- • Use “Face Priority” or select the active eye manually.
- • Recompose slightly after locking focus for better framing.
- • Use AF-C mode so the camera tracks eye movement in real time.
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