How To Take Portrait Images In Manual Mode?

Do you aspire to taking portrait images? Many times, an apprentice photographer makes a mistake by setting the camera in portrait mode and then clicking immediately.

However, this will not give you top quality images and you will not get much satisfaction.

Whether you use a DSLR or Digital camera, you probably have portrait mode in the camera settings.

By setting the camera in automatic portrait mode, you get the flexibility of clicking the images in portrait mode. Even a person who is not at all familiar with the camera and its setting can take portrait images this way.

While setting the camera in automatic mode is all done for you, you do not have the flexibility of adjusting the camera for adding an elegant finishing touch to your shots.

You can set the camera in manual mode and take portrait images of top quality.

If you are setting the camera in manual mode, you need to take care of all small settings that make portrait pictures look more effective. You need to look after aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, flash, focusing etc; all aspects that contribute to the effectiveness of images.

Things to check out when clicking images in manual mode:

Aperture: You can set the camera in aperture priority mode and take great portrait images. You do not need background for a portrait picture, so by setting a larger aperture you can avoid the background and highlight the subject.

Maximum aperture can decrease the depth of field and can fill your subject in complete picture frame avoiding the background of the image in the picture frame. This highlights the main focal point and removes other distracting elements from the frame.

ISO: This is completely based on the lighting arrangements of the images. If you have enough lighting, you do not need to change the ISO. But if your portrait does not require extra lighting or you do not want to add lighting to the picture, set the camera in lower ISO and start tacking images of the subject. This gives a dull and sober look to the portrait image. Low ISO can also minimize the noise and grain in the portrait picture.

Shutter speed: Shutter speed depends on the aperture and ISO, as these are the important elements in the exposure triangle. If you have set the camera in aperture priority mode then you need not worry about the shutter speed as this will be automatically set according to the aperture requirements.

Low ISO also needs lower shutter speed, so if you set the camera in low ISO then you need a tripod to lower the vibrations due to the lower shutter speed.

White balance: This depends upon the lighting conditions when you are shooting portrait images. You can select white balance according to the portrait photo requirements.

Flash: If your image needs an extra flash, attach an extra flash to the camera. If your camera does not need a flash, you don’t need to attach a flash. If you are thinking of adding creativity, try to shoot portraits which lack lighting. Portraits do not need lighting, but there are various options if you do want to add lighting.

Focusing: Set the camera in ‘auto focus mode’; it will give you multiple focusing options which help you in determining the perfect focus for the portrait picture. When you set the camera in manual focusing, you can have total control over the focusing and can focus at any point of the picture frame. By setting the camera in manual focus; you can focus on the eyes of the subject or at the gesture of the subject.

Following these rules will deliver good portrait pictures in manual mode too.