What Camera Settings We Use For Self Portraits?
We always use Manual mode so we have complete control over the exposure. Therefore, we select the appropriate shutter speed, aperture (F number) and ISO.
For portraits, the shutter speed is at least 1/200 with an F number around 1.8. If there is enough light, I keep the ISO low (between 100-500). With a high ISO, noise/grain show up in the image. So I try to keep the ISO under 2500.
We like to shoot at sunrise and sunset. An example of our settings in this low light situation would be ISO 300 / F1.8 / 1/200, as per the photo below. However, if we are moving around and we’re making multiple shots I would increase the shutter speed to 1/500 to freeze movement.
Alternatively, you could decrease the shutter speed to between 1/15 - 1/60 to portray movement and blur the subject. You will need to test a few different shutter speeds to determine the best shot.
Shooting at a low F number (wide aperture) makes the background blurry and makes the subject stand out more. However, there is a shallow depth of field so if the 2 subjects aren’t on the same focal plane then 1 subject will be blurry. Although sometimes this is a cool style.
Other important settings for portraits are to use servo mode and continuous shooting as the subject moves. There are a few different Focus Points to choose from. If you are taking several photos on self timer and moving around the whole frame, then select Auto Focus. Normally for multiple self timer photos I will select an area of the frame for the Auto Focus (left, middle or right). For single timed photos I will select a single point focus on Tammy’s eye then join her in the frame. Normally I will select focus on.
Another interesting look you can change with the focus point is to focus on the background and blur the subject.
I change the exposure based on the appearance through the back screen and histogram, instead of looking at the exposure meter. For example, if shooting in a location with lots of white, the exposure meter will say that it’s over exposed even when the exposure is correct. The opposite occurs with darker backgrounds.
