What camera settings and lighting setup work best for indoor formal headshots?
Asked 5/23/2016
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I’m new to studio-style portrait work and want to shoot a series of formal indoor headshots for a composite. What are good starting settings for ISO, aperture, and shutter speed when using strobes or flash? Also, what should I keep in mind when positioning lights and choosing a background for a clean, professional look?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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The lighting is the main thing. Choose what you want to do there (try lighting-basics) first. Then, shutter speed doesn't matter (because you are using strobes) so pick the sync speed — 180th or 250th. And because you're providing plenty of light, use a low ISO. (Going up to 400 or 800 to reduce the needed flash power to get faster refresh is fine, though.) And then that leaves aperture, which you generally set to something middling, so you get plenty of depth of field. (If you want subject isolation, again — that's in the lighting.)
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For indoor formal headshots with strobes, start by planning the lighting first, because that will drive the camera settings.
A good baseline is:
- shutter speed: use your camera’s flash sync speed, typically around 1/180s to 1/250s
- ISO: keep it low for best image quality; raising it to 400–800 can help reduce flash power needs and speed recycle time if necessary
- aperture: use a moderate aperture to keep enough of the face in focus
With flash, shutter speed is usually less important as long as you stay at or below sync speed, since the strobe is providing the main illumination.
For lighting placement, the key point is to decide on the look you want first and build around that. If you’re after a professional headshot style, pay close attention to the background as well as the subject lighting.
Avoid placing the subject too close to a wall, especially painted walls, because flash can create uneven reflections and make the background look messy. A proper seamless paper backdrop is ideal, but a smooth white sheet can work as a substitute if it’s hung flat without folds or creases.
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