I need high quality pictures done and I just bought a Canon Rebel EOS Digital XTi. What settings should this be on for taking headshots? ISO setting, etc...
2007-01-10 11:06:31 · 7 answers · asked by Melandi 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
Nice camera.
Ok, well...here are a couple of guidelines.
ISO: Keep it as low as you can, so you get the most detail, and minimize sensor noise. For you, I guess that means ISO100.
You want to set your white balance to match the lighting. If you're indoors, set it to tungsten if you're using incandescent lighting. If you plan on using a nice external flash, then set it to flash white balance. If you're outside, then set it to sunlight or cloudy as the situation dictates. Alternately, if you have something like a white napkin to use as a test sample, you could set a custom white balance. I would avoid flourescent lighting.
I highly recommend using diffuse lighting to light your subject. You may want to play with the lighting to give a certain glow to the hair, or minimize a double chin, etc. You can use flash as well for fill lighting if you're outside, to control harsh shadows. I assume you don't have the cash to spend on alot of extra flash equipment and diffusers. But you can improvise with white sheets and some good bright lights. Just definitely don't use direct flash (like the built-in flash) as the sole source of light, bcs the lighting will appear harsh. You can use the on-board flash at reduced power (use the flash exposure setting to drop it down to -1) to do a little fill lighting, and add a glint of catchlight in the subject's eyes. Too much direct flash, and you'll make the face washed out, and devoid of color.
You can choose the camera's "Portrait" mode if you like, and that will preset the typical settings for portraits (increase sharpness 2 notches), or you can choose custom levels as well. I like to increase sharpness, and increase tone 1 notch.
Now, it's best to avoid full zoom, and full telephoto to avoid pincushion and barrel distortion in the picture. Set it somewhere around 55mm (in the middle-ish), and adjust where you stand to compose your shot.
If you're not using portrait mode, set the mode to Av (aperture value control) You want to choose a wide open aperture (the lower the number the wider). If you have the kit lens, keep it at around f3.5.
Now, with the aperture set, test the exposure. If you're using an e-ttl flash, fire off a test exposure so the camera knows how much to dial down the flash by. See what shutterspeed you need to properly expose the shot.If you're not using flash, then fire off a exposure test. Is it around 1/60? or faster? If it is, then good. If it's less than 1/60, you may need more powerful lighting.
Set the drive mode to take several pictures in a row. The reason why you do that is because sometimes a person strikes the right pose at the wrong time. And often a person's "camera smile" is a strained and artificial version of their natural "i'm having a good time" smile. It's good to snap off a few pics i a row every time you take a picture. That way, you catch more natural expressions.
G'luck!
2007-01-10 14:07:16 · answer #1 · answered by Driveshaft 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
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2016-12-20 02:58:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're using natural light don't photograph them in direct sun and make sure the person is turned 45 degrees towards the light source. For examples click here http://www.headshotsuk.co.uk
Make sure the background is not distracting. This could either be a plain wall or if it's something like trees / buildings make sure your settings are such that the background goes blurry. I would also make sure people are not stood too close to the background as otherwise you will get harsh shadows on the wall or it's won't go blurry.
The focal length should be a minimum of 70mm. Anything less than this will make the person look bulbous and not very flattering.
The aperture should be fairly wide. It depends on the specifics of your particular lense however around f4 tends to work fairly well as their face should be in focus but the background will be blurry.
2016-01-21 01:33:57 · answer #3 · answered by Helen 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the headshot reflects how you feel. so trousers and even underwear matter in a way, and shoes (if you feel great in every way in heels, put them on for your headshot). but apart from your head, only a small part of your upper body will show in the pic. that should not be too distracting, as the pic is about your face. so, for starters: no bold patterns or cute florals/bears/ducks or whatever. if it's black-and-white: pick neither or the one with a bit of the other (shades of grey are better). show some skin in the way you'd dress in Spring or Fall (no turtle no tank), that way you look alright every season.
2016-03-14 04:08:38 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
shoot at the lowest iso the camera will allow. That will get you the best resolution and the best results. Use a LOW aperture setting to keep your depth of field tight ( the part of the pic in front and behind the subject in focus ).
2007-01-10 14:06:45 · answer #5 · answered by bigspif2003 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-02-14 01:29:51 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2017-03-08 23:46:19 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This was bugging me too
2016-08-08 23:40:55 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋