ok here it goes! yet another Noobie post! question about 300D best settings!

Hi


I am noobie, so please be gentle! or i will run as a cat!


anyhow,

I just purcahsed my 300d and i am having so much fun with it. One of
the projects I would like to accomplish is to take a great portrait
shot of both my kids.

I would like to know the following.

If I want a good , really good portrait what would be the best
settings to use?

I will be focusing on just the middle part of the body and head shots.

I was thinking of lining the walls with white sheets in order to
reflect light, and let lots of sunlight come through. I am still a
noobie when it comes to shutter speed, WB etc.. I have tried several
different modes, but it looks like I take the best shot when its sunny
outside and with the portrait ( automode on ) ISo 100



any ideas guys?

thanks

 

You will want a small aperture number (large opening) and stand back
pretty far to zoom in. This blurs the background (shallow depth of
field) so the subject stands out without distractions. The distance also
minimizes distortions like huge nose that you would get with a wide
angle up close like a fisheye lens.

I imagine lighting is important but I don't know much 'bout that. One
thing I heard about is two layers of white sheets over the window
separated by a few inches (experiment) to disperse the light. The double
layer has much more impact than one. Then you might need a slow shutter
speed to maintain the wide aperture with a tripod and get them to sit
still. Make it soft light so pimples don't cast shadows <grin>. If you
use the flash, hold a small mirror or white card in front of it to
bounce off the ceiling. At this point you will probably need to put it
in manual since you are fiddling with the exposure so just do some trial
& error.

I think portrait mode adjusts the color balance specifically for skin
tones. Ideally you would shoot a grey card and read the manual to figure
out how to set that picture as the base for white balance then add a bit
of whatever it is for the skin tone enhancement, I don't know exactly
what that is.

 

Until you get a feel for what works best, examine every photo for the
EXIF information for clues as to what works, and what doesn't, the best
idea is to set the camera to 'auto', and let it do its job. Other than
the kid's time, it costs you nothing to experiment, but take the auto
settings as a starting point to jump off into the manual settings, one
at a time until you understand them, and how they are interrelated.

 

thanks!!!!

 

Hi Rutman...

You're about to discover one of the major advantages of
digital... no cost for film or processing

So the answer is - take dozens or even hundreds... then
pick out the one(s) you like best.

Ken

 

First, use aperture priority. You want to use a large aperture to blur the
background. If done right you won't need any kind of special background as
a good blur is often better.

Just use the defused sunlight coming into the room. That should be fine.
If you can't get the shutter speed up to where you can hand hold the camera
go up a bit on the ISO. You're trying to blur the background, so a little
"noise" won't hurt.

Focus on the eyes. If you have to use manual focus.

If you can, use a lens that's around 85mm to 100mm. This will add to the
background blur, and reduce any distortion a wide angle lens will give you.
If you are using the lens that came with the camera 55mm will be just fine.
Use the camera to crop in close. Try not to have to crop much after the
image has been shot.

From there, experiment with the lighting and exposure till you get it right.
No cost for film and processing, so just have fun. If you can't get the
shutter speed up to at least a 30th of a second, use a tripod.

 

The answer depends entirely on the lighting in the area where your
subjects are located. For a "really good portrait" you need good
lighting. The typical person does not have good lighting for portrait
work. You need at a minimum a good external flash. The flash on your
300d will not suffice.

 

I would say use aperture priority mode, a nice wide aperture (small f
number) and a lens of around 85mm or so. Choose a background that is neutral
and doesn't detract from the subject.

If you can get good diffused lighting, so much the better. You might also
want to consider using an external flash (either use a diffuser on it or
bounce the flash off the ceiling for softer lighting)

Even if you have good natural light, you can use flash to give "fill" and
soften any shadows (I find dialing down the flash power by 1-2 stops works
well for fill)

And of course - practice !