Best mode for portraits

[theroseoftheworld]

Hey everyone,

I tend to use Av mode more than any other, but am wondering if this is the most commonly used/best mode for portraits?

Best,

Sandra

 

[fokker]

sorry i am newbie here

Helpful :meh:


OP: If you are using any kind of off-camera lighting other than natural light then I would say manual mode is the way to go for sure. Otherwise Av is fine. A lot of portraits are done at wide open apertures to blur the background, so if this your goal then Av mode makes the most sense.

 

[enzodm]

At a recent portrait course I attended, the teacher said that he typically does some test shoot to choose aperture & shutter (using Av), then just puts on manual with the selected values.

 

[MohaimenK]

M always. even outdoor you can use M mode just because you're not going to be doing anything in a flash. Like weddings you're not gonna turn around and shoot a quick shot. You have more time to control and pace yourself.

 

[kundalini]

.... A lot of portraits are done at wide open apertures to blur the background, so if this your goal then Av mode makes the most sense.

One caveat about shooting wide open is that focus becomes more critical due to the shallower DoF. Also, most lenses will produce sharper images when stopped down 1-2 stops. You can increase the chances of blurred backgrounds, even with consumer grade lenses, by getting the camera-to-subject and subject-to-background distances correct for your gear.

 

[Marc-Etienne]

Two rules that I learn on a Nikon DSLR course I took few months ago.
1- Landscapes are shoot with a deep depth of field.
2- Portrait (to answer your question) are usually shoot with a narrow depth of field in order to blur the background and bring the focus on the subject.

In order to do that, I shoot in Aperture priority mode ("A" on my Nikon D90) and set it on the widest aperture possible (smallest f-stop number).

Hope this helps a bit!

Marc-Etienne

 

[SrBiscuit]

M for me.

 

[Phil Holland]

P for portrait

 

[rocdoc]

I looked this up when I was starting out. I found that most folks including pros seem to prefer aperture priority for the obvious reasons, as mentioned above - DOF control, which is very important for portraiture. If you can shoot everything in M mode you obviously have most control that way, but that is not always the most efficient approach for us mere mortals.

 

[gsgary]

At a recent portrait course I attended, the teacher said that he typically does some test shoot to choose aperture & shutter (using Av), then just puts on manual with the selected values.

I would have walked out because that is a total waste of time, and asked for my money back

 

[gsgary]

I always use Manual, just use what ever works best for you

 

[mwcfarms]

If you are new to photography and portraits I suggest Av or aperature priority. Nothing is more frustrating than having what would have been a nice portrait but you had the shutter speed too low and have tiny bits of motion blur. Depending on your proficiency with the camera either Av, A or manual.

 

[Infidel]

Lots of recent threads on "which mode to use" or "who uses manual?". These are perfectly legitimate questions, I suppose, but all of the modes just apply varying levels of convenience to how the exposure triangle is manipulated to achieve the desired effect. As I described in the recent "Dew Tour" thread, I tend to leave mine in aperture priority...this used to be the only auto mode available on some film cameras, and in my opinion it's because this is the most useful mode for typical shooting situations. The reasons for this are two-fold:

1. Most consumer-grade lenses have a relatively narrow range of useful apertures; wide open isn't necessarily very sharp (nor very large... sometimes you need all the light you can get, so this is an area for compromise), and anything beyond F/16 or so can cause excessive diffraction. The best resolving power of the lens is restricted to relatively few f stops. On the other hand, shutter speed is shutter speed, regardless of quality or cost. That said, the range of available shutter speeds can easily exceed the useful aperture range of a kit lens. Just vary aperture within this useful range, and shutter speed will come along for the ride. Need max shutter speed to freeze motion? Just set the aperture to wide open; the shutter speed will automatically be adjusted to its fastest possible value.

2. Aside from panning technique and other motion-related effects, I consider aperture a more useful compositional parameter than shutter speed, although this really depends on the photographer and the type of photography.

 

[table1349]

One caveat about shooting wide open is that focus becomes more critical due to the shallower DoF. Also, most lenses will produce sharper images when stopped down 1-2 stops. You can increase the chances of blurred backgrounds, even with consumer grade lenses, by getting the camera-to-subject and subject-to-background distances correct for your gear.

:thumbup:

The key to good portraiture and any photography for that matter is understanding your gear and relationship of the exposure triangle.

 

[Derrel]

Mostly tall, or "portrait" mode on single-person, half-body to head and shoulder shots of one person. Seldom use the horizontal orientation.