How to choose the best camera settings for family portraits.
Capture beautiful family images with the right camera settings and a few touches from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
It might seem like a simple task, but snapping high-quality family pictures takes more than just a point-and-click approach. You need the right equipment and camera settings to make family photography pop.
Find the right family photography equipment.
Camera equipment can make the difference between a fuzzy picture and a professional photograph. If you want your family photos to come out clear and crisp, it’s important to use the right tools:
- Use a short telephoto lens with a low f-stop
- Stabilize the camera with a tripod
- Set the remote trigger to avoid camera shake
Choosing a lens with a low f-stop will give your family photos the bokeh effect (blurry background) that many clients love, while the tripod and remote trigger will remove camera shake for the sharpest pictures around.
Choose the best camera settings for family portraits.
Set your camera to manual mode for better control over your photos’ outcome. Camera settings will change depending on the lighting and subject, but these tips are a great place to start:
- Set the ISO as low as possible, preferably between 100-400
- Use the single point autofocus with back button focus
- Set the aperture to between f/2 and f/4 for single subjects and f/5.6 to f/8 for group shots
- Use a shutter speed of at least 1/200th if handheld and 1/15th on a tripod
Your camera will also have a list of preset white balances. Choose the one that best fits your lighting conditions or do a custom balance to keep your photos bright and colorful. When you set the camera to these basic settings and adjust as needed, you can capture more family moments with outstanding picture quality.
Add final touches with photo editing software.
Even when you use the right camera settings for family photos, pictures don’t always turn out exactly as you had imagined. Explore what you can do with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom photo editing software to make every picture live up to your creative expectations.