Portrait photography: the ideal settings for your camera

With the right settings on the camera, you can achieve good portrait photography even if you are not a professional photographer. In this practical tip, we show you what to look out for.

Portrait photography: great pictures with the right settings

People are the focus of portrait photography. With the right settings, you can stage the model perfectly.

• Focal length: Choose a focal length between 50 and 100 millimeters. With an open aperture you can blur the background.
• The main motif, i.e. the person, comes to the fore and receives full attention.
• Sharpness: Always focus your camera on the eyes of the model. However, you have to try a little here to find the right setting.
• The focus must match the open aperture. Otherwise, it may happen that the eyes are sharp, but other areas of the face are already in the blur area.
• Depending on the subject, both eyes are not facing the camera. Then choose the eye closest to the camera for a sharp focus.

The perspective as a stylistic device for your portrait

The perspective influences the effect of the portrait.

• Depending on whether you hold the lens above the eye level of the model or slightly below the eye level, different effects arise.
• Here, too, tact is required. If you hold the lens too high, make the person you are photographing small.
• Taking photographs from below easily gives the person a somewhat sublime expression, which can, however, quickly slip into arrogance.

If you want to take pictures of snowflakes, our next article will show you how great photos work.

In the video: Portrait of Melania Trump causes ridicule on the net