Photographing people
What changes when the subject is a person: which settings matter, where to focus, and the part that is not technical at all.
Most of what makes a portrait work is not technical. But the technical part is small and worth getting out of the way.
Settings
Aperture wide enough to separate the subject from the background — f/2 to f/4 is typical — but not so wide that only one eye is sharp. At f/1.4 the depth of field can be shallower than the distance between someone’s eyes.
Shutter speed at least 1/125 for someone standing still. People move more than they think, and so do you.
Focal length between 50mm and 135mm on full frame. Wider than that enlarges whatever is nearest the camera, which at portrait distance is the nose. Longer means standing far enough away that conversation becomes awkward.
Focus on the near eye
At these apertures, focus precisely. Viewers look at eyes first and forgive softness nearly everywhere else — but a portrait with the far eye sharp and the near one soft reads as a mistake to people who could not explain why.
Use a single focus point and put it on the eye. Not the face, not the head. The eye.
Light
Soft light from slightly above and to one side flatters nearly everyone. That is a window, or open shade, or an overcast sky.
Avoid overhead midday sun, which puts shadows into eye sockets and drops the nose’s shadow onto the mouth. If you cannot avoid it, move into shade — see daylight through the day.
The part that is not technical
A photograph of someone who is uncomfortable looks like a photograph of someone who is uncomfortable, whatever the settings.
- Decide your settings before they are standing there waiting.
- Talk. Long silences make people self-conscious.
- Give something to do rather than a pose to hold — walking, sitting down, looking away and back.
- Take more frames than feel necessary. Expressions that work last fractions of a second.
Key takeaways
- f/2 to f/4 separates without making focus unreliable.
- Focus on the nearest eye, with a single point.
- Soft light from slightly above and to one side suits almost everyone.
- Comfort matters more than settings; sort the settings out beforehand.
Common questions
What lens is best for portraits?
Something between 50mm and 135mm on full-frame. Shorter distorts features at close range; longer forces you further away than is comfortable for talking.
Why do my portraits look unflattering?
Usually light rather than lens. Overhead midday sun puts shadows in eye sockets and under the nose. Move to open shade and it generally fixes itself.
Next steps
Aperture and depth of field
The aperture controls light and how much of the scene is sharp at the same time. It is the control that most changes how a photograph feels.
The direction of light
Front, side and back light produce three different photographs of the same subject. Choosing between them is mostly about where you stand.