NEED SOME HELP WITH MY PORTRAITS

[Kimberly81]

If anyone wants to lend some advice I would appreciate it

I am shooting a Nikon D40, I am very basic, I have just the pop up flash and a reflector. I love natural light (overcast days and shade).

Can you guys recommend some camera settings, etc that I can try to improve on my portraits? I want nice even light, soft backgrounds, and soft skin without losing sharpness in my photos. I may be asking too much of my little camera but these are my goals.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Garbz]

For the most part the answer lies in something your already playing with. Lighting. Ignore the popup flash, use the reflector that is a good start.

The rest has little to do with the camera and more to do with you choice of location. Keep out of harsh sunlight and play with various backgrounds, light and dark, and positioning of the subject against different light sources. Experiment and find out what works best and you'll find you can go far with your little camera.

 

[andrew99]

Yeah, as Garbz said, you can do a lot with a reflector.

Try using the widest aperture (lowest f number) you can for soft backgrounds. Also the D40 on default settings tends to have really strong colour saturation, you can try desaturating a bit in post or adjusting the camera settings.

Which lens are you using?