Studio photography is a great way to capture the perfect shot. The camera settings for studio flash photography can be a bit confusing, but this post will break it down and make things easy! It’s important to know your camera settings before you head into the studio or take on any other type of photography project. In this article, we’ll go over what camera settings you should use for shooting in a professional setting like a studio.
For a quick overview, here are the ideal settings you should aim for while in the studio, depending on the type of photos you’re looking to shoot:
- Portrait photography – ISO100, f/8, 1/125.
- Product photography – ISO200, f/2.2, 1/200.
- Fashion photography – ISO100, f/2.8, 1/400.
- Food photography – ISO100, f/2.8, 1/80.
- Action photography – ISO1600, f/2.8, 1/500.
Advantages Of Shooting In A Studio
There are a lot of great reasons you should consider shooting in studio. One reason is that you’ll have complete control over the environment, which can be especially helpful when photographing products or food. You’re also able to get consistent lighting on your subjects no matter what time of day it is outside (if using artificial lights).
Disadvantages Of Shooting In A Studio
On the other hand, there are some downsides to shooting in studio too! For one thing, if you don’t have access to professional camera equipment , it’s probably not worth renting out a space for photography. It’s expensive and likely won’t make up for what you pay by selling photos online once they’ve been edited . Another downside is that while indoor studios do give you more consistent lighting, they can be a bit restrictive. For example, if the only camera position available is from directly above your subject , it’s going to make getting creative with light and shadows near impossible.
Different Types Of Studio Photography
There are different types of studio photography you might be interested in shooting, which we’ll cover below:
Portrait Photography
Portrait photography is all about capturing the perfect shot of your subjects face. These types of photos are often used for promotional purposes, like an author’s headshot or a model’s portfolio. To get great portrait shots in studio you’re going to want to use camera settings that allow plenty of light into your camera lens without letting too much backlight hit your subject to avoid harsh shadows on their faces.
Product Photography
Product photography is used to showcase products in a professional setting and get your potential customers excited about the product. With these types of photos you want lots of detail, shadow and light on each object so they look great when zoomed into. You’ll also likely need to take many images until you get that perfect shot with every feature highlighted just right.
Fashion Photography
Fashion photography is used to capture the look and feel of a specific type of fashion in studio. Photos tend to be more artsy with lots of shadows, highlights and interesting camera angles/compositions since they’re mostly for your model’s portfolio or brand promotion on social media profiles.
Food Photography
One great way to get people excited about trying new foods is through food photography! It can also help you visually promote menu items at restaurants if done right . Food photos usually include close-ups so customers can see all the tasty details such as how moist something looks or that perfectly cooked steak sizzling over an open flame.
Action Photography
If you want to capture sports, animals or anything else in motion, action photography is your best bet. This type of camera work requires fast shutter speeds and a lot of light since the camera will be capturing movement instead of stationary objects like other types of studio photos.
Ideal Settings For Studio Photography
Now that we’ve covered the different types of studio photography, let’s take a look at the ideal settings for each type below:
Portrait
- Set your camera to Manual Mode. To avoid having grainy pictures, use lower ISO settings such as 100 or 200. Set the shutter speed to 1/125th of a second. Alternatively, you might try 1/60 or 1/30th of a second. Just make sure it’s not too low a shutter speed (such as f/8). Experiment with f/8 to f/18 for aperture settings. F/8 or even f /11 would be an excellent choice.
- The ideal focal length for close-ups is 200mm or less since you are near to your subject. The flash power must also be experimented with. Set it to the half of your camera’s strength, ideally. After that, play around with the flash power and focal length until you discover what works best for you.
Product
- Set your ISO between 200 and 400. 100 is also acceptable, although I favor going slightly higher. There is no such thing as the ideal shutter speed for this type of photography. For commercial pictures, any value between 1/100 and 1/500 will work well. The first option is for creating brighter images, while the second option is for darker images. Slow shutter speeds like 1/60 or 1/30 are not advised.
- Use anything between f/1.8 and f/5.6 for the aperture settings. The ideal range would be from f/2.2 to f/3.5, though keep in mind that you should experiment with it and avoid using full power at all times.
Fashion
- Use slower ISO settings like ISO100 or ISO400, but don’t go higher than that. Higher shutter speeds such as 1/400 or 1/800 are preferable. Anything more than that will result in a blurred photo, and we don’t want that in this niche. The aperture setting may vary somewhat, but not significantly. The finest results will be achieved with settings such as f/2.8 and f/8.0.
- Don’t go too far with your focal length. Again, 200mm should be enough, but you may go lower depending on the distance between you and the subject. The flash is required, however it should not be used at full strength.
Food
- Set the ISO speed to 100. Food photography calls for this setting, as long as you have adequate light. Alternatively, bump it up to 200, but doing so may result in less-than-desirable images. 1/80s is a good setting for this kind of work; it has been shown to give the best results when compared with other shutter speeds.
- A lower F-stop number should be included in the aperture settings. Keep it under f/3.5 if possible. If you want to notice the little details, set it to f/2.8. Focal length should be 50mm to 100mm, depending on the distance. You can simply set it to 50mm if you take food from a close range. Don’t use too much flash power. Set it to half or even less than that for the best results.
Action
- You should raise your ISO to capture fast-moving subjects. Depending on the light, anything above ISO2000 may work well. In a studio, you always have ideal lighting, so start with an ISO of 1600. That’s an excellent place to start. The shutter speed should be increased. Set it to 1/500 of a second for maximum effect. Higher speeds will result in some blurriness.
- The optimal aperture setting is between f/2.8 and f/5.6, with a lower F-stop number and the best figure starting at f/2.8. The focal length should be 300mm or less for portrait photography depending on the situation. Don’t whip out your flash every time. It’s practically useless if you’re far away from the subject. Set it to half power if you use it at all.
Tips For Studio Photography
Now that we’ve walked through in more detail the settings you should employ while in the studio, let’s cover some additional tips to get the most out of your photos:
Use A Diffuser
Exposures can be off if you use a camera flash. A diffuser placed between the light source and your camera will ensure that things remain even across the board.
Use Manual Mode
Most cameras have an automatic mode for studio photography, but it is not recommended in most cases. Try manual instead to get better control over lighting conditions and camera settings.
Aperture Priority Mode Is Helpful Too
It’s also a great idea to try aperture priority mode when photographing food or portraits since this feature usually makes sure that everything remains sharp from front to back without making adjustments manually yourself.
Use Reflectors And Bounce Lights
This is another great way to bring up the light levels in your camera. Reflectors are particularly helpful, and they work well if you use them correctly.
Use A Sturdy Tripod And Cable Release To Avoid Camera Shake
Camera shake can be a big problem without either of these two accessories so make sure one or both are available before you start shooting with studio lighting equipment.
Use A Wireless Flash Trigger
If you want to make your life easier, use a camera flash trigger. Using this accessory will enable you to fire off the camera and studio lights at once without having an extra hand on deck.
Use The Right Lens
Make sure you use the right camera lens for your situation. Most lenses are designed to work well with various camera settings, but some perform better than others depending on what kind of photo you want to take.
It’s easier than saying “cheese” to change lenses on a DSLR or mirrorless camera. There are many lenses available, each of which has a significant impact on the quality of your studio photographs. A wide-angle lens (20mm) is fantastic for capturing a wide angle view, for example. In contrast, there’s a telephoto lens that can reach up to 100mm and captures a limited field of view. But what lens is ideal for indoor photography? On our website, we’ve compiled lists of the top lenses for Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus cameras with our camera lens comparison tool.
Experiment!
You can’t just take a nice photo the first time you pick up a camera. Experimenting with various lighting scenarios, camera settings, locations, and even themes might help you a lot. The circumstances aren’t always ideal, but by experimenting and improvising, you may make them so. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy photography: because it allows me to modify and improve my images through experimentation and improvisation.
