General camera can be used for people photography, but due to the model and structure of the different performance and characteristics of the differences, in addition to the shooting scene is not the same (for example: outdoor portraits, indoor portraits, sports portraits, etc.), so there will be a certain difference in the settings. But in general the settings of the camera to shoot portraits follow the following general principles:
1. It is recommended to set the aperture priority auto exposure mode (Av mode)
Want to shoot beautiful portraits, it is recommended to use a fixed-focus lens. Fixed-focus lenses are excellent for background bokeh. The control of the focal point (depth of field) is very important in portrait photography, and focusing on the human eye can make the human eye shine. Triangle frame is essential to the use of fixed-focus lens, because you have opened the aperture, so its depth of field is very small, can be said to be "thin as a razor blade", so the focus must be accurate. For the more complex light environment, suitable for the use of Av mode (aperture priority automatic exposure mode), for a more single light environment, you can set to M mode (manual), experienced on-site light judgment can also be used Av mode.
2. Set the ISO sensitivity as low as possible
The ISO sensitivity should be chosen according to the shooting situation. Setting it to Auto is basically fine, but in order to better understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture, it's best to choose a specific sensitivity to get used to shooting. It is recommended that you try to use a sensitivity of ISO 800 or less, and under the premise of ensuring that your photos are clear (use a tripod, shutter release cable, etc. if the scene is poorly lit), set the ISO to 100 or 200.
3. Spot Metering
Selecting the appropriate metering point for metering (metering the main subject of the subject) is often recommended for portrait photography. It is usually recommended to meter the face of the subject.
4. Set Drive Mode to Continuous
When taking portraits you should take a number of shots in succession even if they are of the same pose. If you get into the habit of doing this, the probability of taking portraits that are ideally in focus will increase dramatically. In addition, if you set your camera to continuous mode, you will be able to take the next photo quickly.
5. Setting to Single AF
In principle, you should set the AF mode to "single AF" mode, where focusing stops after focusing, as opposed to continuous AF mode, which chases the subject. "Single AF" is more conducive to accurate focusing than the continuous AF mode that chases the subject. Especially in portrait photography, where the subject is constantly posing in different ways, using the Single AF mode is more conducive to shooting.
6. Manually selecting the focus point
To be able to freely select the focus point closest to the subject's eye after composing a picture, you should set AF Selection to Manual Selection. This allows you to freely change the focus point depending on the composition. In order to quickly select the focus point in any situation, you should check the operation of the camera beforehand and practice selecting the focus point manually. It is recommended that you use the center focus point as much as possible, as it is more sensitive than other focus points.
7. Use the AF-ON or AE-lock button for autofocus
The default setting on DSLRs is for the camera to perform both autofocus and auto-metering when the shutter release button is pressed halfway. If it were possible to separate the operation buttons for autofocus and auto-metering, using the autofocus start (AF-ON or Auto Exposure Lock) button for autofocus and assigning the start of auto-metering to the shutter release button, the two operating systems could be separated for more focused focusing.