Comments on: How to bypass the Portrait Mode on Your Digital Camera and Get Great Portrait http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:24:21 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Grover http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-73212 Grover Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:17:53 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-73212 Good primer on portraits. The only other advise I'd offer is move in and engage your subject. Noobs always stand too far back. Good primer on portraits. The only other advise I’d offer is move in and engage your subject. Noobs always stand too far back.

]]> By: Nuraiman http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-71725 Nuraiman Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:12:04 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-71725 I like to learn how to shoot correctly. I dont have 2.8 lens like most peolpe mention, it is the best to have one. I have standard lens how can i get nice picture I like to learn how to shoot correctly. I dont have 2.8 lens like most peolpe mention, it is the best to have one. I have standard lens how can i get nice picture

]]> By: lampi http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-69327 lampi Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:52:57 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-69327 And what about if you want to shoot yourself? Manual focus and manual mode, than program the camera to autoshoot - just to have time to sit in front of it. And what about if you want to shoot yourself? Manual focus and manual mode, than program the camera to autoshoot – just to have time to sit in front of it.

]]> By: Hamra http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-65559 Hamra Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:53:05 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-65559 thank you, learn something new, I'll try it thank you, learn something new, I’ll try it

]]> By: Cleve Gray http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-64105 Cleve Gray Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:03:21 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-64105 This is how I take portraits with the Nikon D90. If shooting outside, arrange to meet subject early to avoid crowds, dog walkers, gawkers, etc. Subject is in complete shade to avoid harsh light and squinting of eyes. White balance is set to shade. Auto white balance often reproduces the shade's bluish tint. However, if the background of the shaded subject is brightly lit by sunlight, do not use the shade setting or your subject will appear far too warm. If you have a light meter, use it in aperture mode, with your dome up. You will get a more accurate exposure from the incident lighting than from the reflected lighting, which is what your camera's internal meter would read. Camera is in manual mode. Shutter speed adjusted to match reading from light meter. Frame and shoot! Decrease the time you spend in image-editing software by getting as close to the correct exposure as possible in your camera. This is how I take portraits with the Nikon D90.

If shooting outside, arrange to meet subject early to avoid crowds, dog walkers, gawkers, etc.

Subject is in complete shade to avoid harsh light and squinting of eyes.

White balance is set to shade. Auto white balance often reproduces the shade’s bluish tint. However, if the background of the shaded subject is brightly lit by sunlight, do not use the shade setting or your subject will appear far too warm.

If you have a light meter, use it in aperture mode, with your dome up. You will get a more accurate exposure from the incident lighting than from the reflected lighting, which is what your camera’s internal meter would read.

Camera is in manual mode. Shutter speed adjusted to match reading from light meter.

Frame and shoot!

Decrease the time you spend in image-editing software by getting as close to the correct exposure as possible in your camera.

]]> By: Stephanie Mitchell http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-64097 Stephanie Mitchell Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:52:45 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-64097 To Jojo d'Souza: - flash at stage functions is often not permitted and is always intrusive. Try this: crank up your ISO to at least 1600. Set your camera to tungsten lighting to match stage lights. If the lighting is fairly consistent throughout the production, put your camera on manual exposure, zoom in as close as you can and take a couple of test shots to nail the exposure for faces. Then lock that setting in and uses it throughout. Your pictures will follow the moods and lighting changes of the production instead of the camera trying to second-guess them all the time. Meters are thoroughly confused by small actors and large dark stages. If your camera has it, set it to follow-focus (Canons call it AI Servo or something), where it is continually autofocusing. Set to continuous shooting and fire off bursts of 5 to 10 shots to capture fleeting expressions. If you have the luxury of moving around (and even if you're stuck in your seat), use a monopod. You may find you can drop your ISO somewhat. Great tips on this site - love it! To Jojo d’Souza: – flash at stage functions is often not permitted and is always intrusive. Try this: crank up your ISO to at least 1600. Set your camera to tungsten lighting to match stage lights. If the lighting is fairly consistent throughout the production, put your camera on manual exposure, zoom in as close as you can and take a couple of test shots to nail the exposure for faces. Then lock that setting in and uses it throughout. Your pictures will follow the moods and lighting changes of the production instead of the camera trying to second-guess them all the time. Meters are thoroughly confused by small actors and large dark stages. If your camera has it, set it to follow-focus (Canons call it AI Servo or something), where it is continually autofocusing. Set to continuous shooting and fire off bursts of 5 to 10 shots to capture fleeting expressions. If you have the luxury of moving around (and even if you’re stuck in your seat), use a monopod. You may find you can drop your ISO somewhat.

Great tips on this site – love it!

]]> By: ROBERT BOLTON http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-54679 ROBERT BOLTON Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:51:45 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-54679 Great site! your knowledge and experience is a great help to all learners and is very easy to understand Of late I have been leaving my camera in manual mode and letting the camera teach me and coming here has shown me I am on the right track, your tutorials and advice are much appreciated and look forward to being a better photographer because of this fantastic support offered by you, thank you Darren Rowse. Great site! your knowledge and experience is a great help to all learners and is very easy to understand
Of late I have been leaving my camera in manual mode and letting the camera teach me and coming here has shown me I am on the right track, your tutorials and advice are much appreciated and look forward to being a better photographer because of this fantastic support offered by you, thank you Darren Rowse.

]]> By: graphicartist2k5 http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-50348 graphicartist2k5 Fri, 08 May 2009 19:05:38 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-50348 what's even better is the fact that you don't even need an expensive dslr camera to achieve the looks on all of those portrait shots. all you need is a point and shoot 10 megapixel camera and adobe photoshop. if you know how to use photoshop effectively, all of those effects can be easily mimicked. one HUGE tip for anyone wanting to achieve a softness to your portrait/landscape/whatever pictures: create a duplicate layer in photoshop, desaturate the layer, then use a gaussian blur setting of 6-10 pixels, and change the layer to "overlay", "soft light", or "darken", and if you don't want the whole picture to have a "softened" look, just add a layer mask to the duplicate layer, then use the paintbrush tool tool to erase the areas you don't want "softened". what’s even better is the fact that you don’t even need an expensive dslr camera to achieve the looks on all of those portrait shots. all you need is a point and shoot 10 megapixel camera and adobe photoshop. if you know how to use photoshop effectively, all of those effects can be easily mimicked. one HUGE tip for anyone wanting to achieve a softness to your portrait/landscape/whatever pictures: create a duplicate layer in photoshop, desaturate the layer, then use a gaussian blur setting of 6-10 pixels, and change the layer to “overlay”, “soft light”, or “darken”, and if you don’t want the whole picture to have a “softened” look, just add a layer mask to the duplicate layer, then use the paintbrush tool tool to erase the areas you don’t want “softened”.

]]> By: kaylett http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-50331 kaylett Fri, 08 May 2009 16:39:30 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-50331 Great article. I use a single focus point also but didn't think about using the 'spot' metering mode. Thanks for the tip. Great article. I use a single focus point also but didn’t think about using the ’spot’ metering mode.
Thanks for the tip.

]]> By: B. Donnelly http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/comment-page-1#comment-50328 B. Donnelly Fri, 08 May 2009 16:02:39 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on-your-digital-camera-and-get-great-portrait/#comment-50328 Hmm. How do you use the single point focus and the spot metering at the same time? I'm still getting up and running with the Lumix dmc-lx3. I can only use both of these tools if I manually set the exposure, right? If this is an insanely stupid question please forgive me. Hmm. How do you use the single point focus and the spot metering at the same time? I’m still getting up and running with the Lumix dmc-lx3.

I can only use both of these tools if I manually set the exposure, right?

If this is an insanely stupid question please forgive me.

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