shutter speeds for portraits

woody12

woody12

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paul
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Hi, feeling close to giving up on my new hobby which i enjoy. The problem is the family all want me to take photos of a new arrival. After posting the results i'm shot down in flames saying my images lack sharpness and are generally out of focus, which is down to slow shutter speeds. Generally i've been shooting in auto, afraid of all these settings. Understand dof, aparture but shutter speeds get me going crazy. What is the best speed for general daylight portaits? The auto is shooting at 1/60 without flash. Please help, i don't want to give up but feedback can be harsh. Thanks in advance
 
It's as slow as you can hold it steady :D if the subject is stationary 1/60 is about as low as I would go VR/IS would help. What iso are you shooting at as pushing that would help.
 
Don't give up!! Depends on the camera/lens combination and also on how steady you can hold it. What body and lens are you using?
 
Hi, i'm using nikon 3100 with 35mm 1.8 Af. Would it help using a tripod to keep the camera steady?
 
It would keep the camera steady but the subject could still move.

Stick it in A mode set you Aperture to 1.8 and check shutter speed, if too low raise your iso.
 
If they ask you to do it and you're kind enough to do it out of the kindness of your own heart then they criticise the results I'd tell the ungrateful gits to get knotted!!

Anyway, in answer to the op's question, the faster the better! Up the iso and shoot at f/2 - f/2.5 where the lens will still be effective in low light but a little sharper.

Also move the subject around. If it's not in decent light, move it into a better position, near a window etc.
 
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something is wrong if you are struggling (have you got -EV dialed in?)

Sunny 16 rule:
On a sunny day at ISO 100 set the aperture to f/16 the shutter speed to 1/100
The shot should be properly exposed

You have a 1.8 lens, on a sunny day, you ought to be on 1/2000th sec at the wide end

for a overcast day: f/5.6 at 1/125s at ISO 100 ought to be properly exposed

1/125s is quick enough for a portrait

The issue with F2 is the DOF is so shadow, if your technique is a bit off, you blur the shot

advice - for starters, concentrate on getting a good clean image, outside, on a well lit day, with your subject in the shade, you should be able to nail it at F5.6 (ish) at ISO 100
 
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paully said:
is it this pic your referring to?
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=355361
Click to expand...

If it was, it looks like the focus landed on the fabric just in front of the babies chin. With the wide aperture it needs to be spot on, and even then the depth of field can be too narrow. It's so easy to miss the focus, so take loads and only show the good ones :thumbs:
Your hit rate will improve with practice. Try practising on a large teddy bear, similar size and won't wriggle or make bad smells :)
 
woody, where are you located?

You might benefit from a little 1 on 1 time with someone local, even an hour or two could really help :)
 
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