The document provides tips for outdoor and indoor portrait photography. For outdoor portraits, it recommends using a zoom lens between 50-100mm, large aperture such as f/4 or f/5.6, shutter speed of at least 1/125s to freeze movement, and single autofocus. It discusses choosing good outdoor locations and compositions using rule of thirds. For indoor portraits, it suggests using natural window light, reflectors, 85mm prime lens, wide apertures, higher ISO settings, focusing on the eyes, finding photogenic models, engaging with subjects, and basic post-processing tips.

1. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
OutdoorPortraitoutdoorsettings –
‘Blurring the background isthekey to classic portraitshots,to direct attention to the main subject.
Using a standard zoomlens,setthe focallength to between 50 and 100mm. Set yourcamera to
AperturePriority and select the largestapertureavailableon yourlens,such as f/4 or f/5.6.
While theapertureand the depthof field are important,you also need to watch the shutterspeed.
Makesure you’reusing a shutterspeed of at least 1/125sec to freezeany camera shakeor subject
movement.You also need to set the Autofocusmodeto singleorone shot,and select the focuspoint
so thatit’s overthe eye of the subject.’
Location
One of the great things about outdoor portrait photography is that you can shoot almost
anywhere, from your back garden to a glorious tropical beach. But it’s important to know how to
get the most out of any location you choose.
There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to working a location. If the location adds to
your portrait, you can include the background, but if the location isn’t particularly photogenic, try
using limited depth of field or tight framing to concentrate attention on your subject.
For the most striking portraits, it’s often best to keep things simple, so try to shoot against
uncluttered backgrounds such as the sky, a wall or foliage. This will help your subject stand out.
However, like most rules, there are times when it’s best to break them – particularly when you’re
shooting environmental portraits where you want to show the surroundings almost as much as
the subject itself.
Composition and framing
Try to position either your subject’s face (on a half or full-length portrait) or eyes (on a head-and-
shoulders or close-up shot) using the rule of thirds. This gives a much more balanced
composition than if they are in the centre of the frame.
When shooting closer than full length, you’ll need to think carefully about framing. A good rule of
thumb is to avoid cropping the portrait so that any joints such as knees or elbows come too close
to the edges of the frame.
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/09/03/shoot-like-a-pro-outdoor-portrait-photography-
made-easy/2/
01 Find yourself some shade
A simple solution is to position your model in a shady area. Don’t forget to watch the white
balance setting though. If the background is still in bright sunlight it can make your model’s skin
look too blue, because it will choose a daylight white balance, rather than shade.

2. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
02 Wait for some cloud
If you can’t find any shade, and there are some clouds in the sky, you can try waiting for the sun
to disappear behind cloud for a natural diffused effect.
Shooting in changing light means that you’ll need to work quickly to get your shots though, and
you also need to watch the exposure.
Make sure that you set the exposure for the model, rather than a bright or dark background.
03 Diffuse the light
If there aren’t any clouds to diffuse harsh light, you can get a similar effect by holding a diffuser
between the subject and the sun. The diffuser can be as simple as a piece of translucent white
cloth or one made specifically for the purpose.
This works very well for head-and-shoulders portraits,but it can be impossible to find a big
enough diffuser to diffuse the lightfor a half- or full-length shot.
Even for head-and-shoulders shots you’ll find it much easier if you have a willing assistant to hold
the diffuser in position.
04 Shoot into the light
For a completely different look, try getting your model to face away from the sun, and shoot into
the light. You’ll need to avoid under-exposure, because the bright background will fool your
camera’s meter. Try using +1 or +2 stops of Exposure Compensation
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/09/03/shoot-like-a-pro-outdoor-portrait-photography-
made-easy/3/

3. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
As there are three things that determine the depth of field in your shots – aperture, focal length
and your distance from the subject – it can take practice to get the effect you want. Here’s how
these key factors affect your shots…
Aperture
One of the easiest ways to control the depth of field is to change the aperture that you use. For
shallow depth of field, choose a wide aperture (small f-number) such as f/2.8 or f/4.
To capture more of the scene in sharp focus, use a smaller aperture (larger f-number), such as
f/11 or f/16.
Prime lenses offering wide apertures (such as a 50mm f/1.8) produce a really shallow depth of
field, which makes them the perfect lens for portraits.
Focal length
If the other settings stay the same, a longer focal length lens will blur the background more than
a shorter one. Try selecting a focal length of around 55-70mm in order to throw backgrounds out
of focus.
Shooting distance
The final thing governing the depth of field of your shots is how far you are standing from the
subject. The further you are from your subject, the more of the shot will be in focus from front to
back, while the closer you are the less of it will be sharp.

4. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
Using an 85mm lens and an aperture of f/2 has produced shallow depth of field
This means you’ll find it easier to get shallow depth of field by getting as close as you can.
How far you are from the subject will be governed by the focal length of the lens you are using,
and how much of the subject you want to include.

5. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
It’s much easier to get shallow depth of field effects when shooting head-and-shoulder (or close-
up) images than it is if you’re taking full-length portraits.
But remember that it’s also easier to get shallow depth of field with a longer focal length lens, and
you’ll also produce unflattering distortion if you get too close to the subject.
Best Focus Modes For Outdoor Portraits
With most portraits it’s essential that at least one of the eyes is sharp, and when using shallow
depth of field it’s critical that you focus accurately on this area.
As long as the subject is static, you can use either manual or automatic focus modes to good
effect. Using autofocus you should select single or one-shot mode, so that you can lock the
setting by half-pressing the shutter release to focus on the eyes.
For moving subjects, you should set the camera to servo or continuous autofocus. Then the
camera can track the subject, although when combined with a shallow depth of field it can be
difficult to get pin-sharp focus on a moving subject.
For the best results, select the focus point you want to use, so that it corresponds to where the
subject’s eyes are in the frame. This will save you time compared to using the central focusing
point and reframing your shot.
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/09/03/shoot-like-a-pro-outdoor-portrait-photography-
made-easy/4/

6. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
IndoorPortraitSettings -
01 Use window light
Place your subject close to a window to make the most of any available natural light – this will
generally give more flattering results than flash-lit shots.
02 A little reflection
A reflector is invaluable for filling in shadows on faces. Position it on the opposite side of your
subject to the window, and slightly below them to reflect light back onto their features.
03 Go prime
A focal length of around 85mm is the classic choice for portraits; wide-angle lenses can contort
facial features when shooting up close, while telephoto lenses are impractical. If you’re using a
crop-sensor camera, then a using a prime lens like Canon’s budget EF 50mm f/1.8 lens will give
you an effective focal length of 80mm and has a wonderfully wide f/1.8 aperture.
04 Use a wide aperture
When shooting indoors, set Aperture Priority mode and select a wide aperture (such as f/2.8 or
greater). This will not only allow you to make the most of the lower light levels, but will also give
you a shallow depth of field that will help your subjects stand out from cluttered backgrounds.
05 Up the ISO
To avoid camera shake, you need to select a shutter speed of at least ‘one over’ the effective
focal length – so for 85mm you’d need 1/100 sec or faster. Shooting indoor portrait photography
in low light will mean you’re likely to need to shoot at ISO 800 or 1600 to obtain a good shutter
speed. While higher ISOs mean more image noise, this is very well controlled in most recent
DSLRs, and a little noise is far preferable to a shaky shot.
06 It’s all about the eyes
Getting your focus spot-on for portraits is critical – always focus on the eyes (or the nearest eye,
if your subject isn’t square-on to you). Switch to the single AF point mode and use one of the off-
centre AF points for sharp focusing and to help improve your compositions. If you use the central
AF point and focus and recompose, when shooting with a shallow DoF, you may end up with a
pin-sharp nose but out-of-focus eyes.
07 Find a model
It goes without saying the some people are more photogenic than others, so it may be worth
engaging the services of a model. Websites such as Model Mayhem are great places to find
willing subjects, and many models starting out will do it for free, in exchange for images for their
portfolio.
08 Keep up the rapport
You’ll get better portraits if you really engage with your subjects. Give them direction for their
poses and offer encouragement. Showyour subjects your shots on the LCD every so often so
they can see how good they look!
09 Make them pop
A simple Photoshop workflow will help make your portraits pop. Once you’ve processed theraw
format file, use a Levels adjustment layer to selectively brighten the eyes and teeth, and use the

7. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
Unsharp Mask to ensure the eyes are pin-sharp – values of Amount 80%, Radius 2 and
Threshold 0 are good starting points.
10 Make it mono
Portraits are often transformed by a black-and-white conversion; this removes distractions from
colourful clothing of blotchy skin. Mono is also brilliant for gritty character portraits.
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/02/07/indoor-portrait-photography-10-tips-for-using-
only-one-lens-and-natural-light/

8. Researchdifferentsettingse.g.outdoors,indoors
Tips
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2014/07/2
5/24-of-our-most-popular-photography-cheat-
sheets/