The Best Camera Settings for Studio Photography

One can simply not overlook the fact that when you are talking about studio photography, things are a lot more different than what you might think, in the first place. Now, I fully understand that not a lot of people are into studio photography for one reason or another. I get it that when you are in a studio, you can turn the shooting scenario into optimal considering how you will have control over everything but that does not mean that the results are going to be the same.

That being said, it is always better that you are looking into more and more of studio photography because at one point, you would want to get some really good results, too. However, a lot of people who are trying to get started with a studio have asked us about the best camera settings for studio photography as it can be a confusing ordeal for most of them and well, we are here to guide everyone on how to make that happen.

Now, let’s not waste more time and have a look at different aspects of camera settings and studio photography, as well.

Best Camera Settings for Studio Photography

What is the Best Aperture for Studio Portraits?

When you are talking about taking portraits and portraits that look excellent, the aperture plays a huge role in making sure that you are getting the picture that you want. Normally, I would suggest that you are using something that has a high aperture like f/1.8 or even f/1.4. But what if I tell you that you can go for something lower and get the same excellent results?

Considering how lighting is controlled in the studio as opposed to outside, you can actually get your aperture to f/3.5 and even crank it to f/5.8. Yes, yes, I know that it does sound scary but hey, with this best aperture for studio photography, you would be more than easily capture the shallow depth of field that you are looking to go for, and the picture itself will remain tack sharp.

However, I am someone who believes in creative freedom so if you want to go ahead and make some adjustments, you are more than welcome to do that as it will only allow for a better overall experience and you will get the chance to learn a lot more.

What ISO Should I Use in a Studio?  

A lot of people have little to no idea that studio photography, in many cases, is far better than any other photography simply because of the ease of access there is. Now, ISO is something that is best if you are keeping it low. The lower the ISO, the better the overall performance is going to be. With higher ISO, you are only allowing more artificial light and that creates noise in the images which looks horrible.

With that said, for studios, the ISO should be set to 100 and the shutter speed should be around 1/125 or even higher. Considering how you have enough lighting equipment, this should be more than enough in making your experience better.

Rest assured, you can go ahead and experiment with the ISO as you see fit but generally, the lower the ISO, the better it is overall.

How Do You Set White Balance in Studio Photography?

When you are talking about studio photography in general, the good news is that every thing is happening in a controlled situation. This certainly comes as a good news as it allows you to dial in the best settings possible and go crazy with everything that you have access to. However, at the same time, this can easily ruin the experience if you are not familiar with all the intricacies and we do not want to go that route, in the first place.

With that said, setting white balance is a bit tricky for a lot of people and unlike most settings, there is no said rule for setting things up and this is where things get complicated for most of us. Thankfully, we are here to tell you a few things about it.

If you are looking to get the easiest way out and set the right white balance, you can just use the auto-white balance. I do understand that this might not be to everyone’s preference but it will make everything so much easier than one might believe. The downside to this is that you might have to make some adjustments in the post processing. So, it is better that you are prepared for that.

The second way, and the one which I prefer is using a grey card. These cards are easily available and they let you set the most accurate white balance, as well. I do understand that this might not be a difficult for beginners but once you master it, there is no going back because this is perhaps the most accurate way of setting white balance and once you have mastered it, it will be all yours.

Using the Best Camera Settings for Studio Photography 

The next step, we are going to focus on the best settings that are ideal for studio photography. Considering how a studio can be used for multiple photography types, we are going to mention the settings that are best for each type of photography.

1. Studio Portrait Photography

Perhaps one of the most common types of photography in the studio happens to be portraits and if you are looking to go ahead and take some stunning portraits, these are the studio portrait camera settings that you want to keep for obvious reasons.

• Setting the camera to manual mode.
• Set the ISO to 100 or 200.
• Shutter speed should be around 1/125 or higher.
• Aperture should be f/8.
• Focal length can range from 50mm and onwards.
• Flash powers should be around 50%.

2. Studio Product Photography

Next up, we are looking at product photography. I know it might not sound interesting to a lot but product photography is one of the best forms of photography because it really makes the creativity come out and allows you to really get things done.

• Setting the camera to manual mode.
• Set the ISO to 200 to 400.
• Shutter speed should be around 1/100 to 1/500.
• The aperture should be f/2.2 to f/5.6.
• The focal length should be around 200mm or less.
• Flash powers should be around 50% or less.

3. Fashion Photography

Fashion photography is something that has exploded over the past couple of years and it has only gotten better with time. There is a lot of demand for this type of photography and if you have been looking into getting better at it then there is no reason for you to overlook it, in the first place. With that said, below, you can see the studio fashion photography camera setting that is good enough. You can use the same settings for editorial photography.

• Setting the camera to manual mode.
• Set the ISO to 100 to 200.
• Shutter speed should be around 1/400 to 1/800.
• The aperture should be f/2.8 to f/8.
• The focal length should be around 200mm.
• Flash powers should be around 50% or less.

4. Food Photography

While it might not sound interesting to a lot of people, food photography is something that has been around for some time and can be very, very exciting when done right. Of course, there are a lot of intricacies in food photography but hey, it is all good because you are never really going to run into any issues with the right settings. 

• Setting the camera to manual mode.
• Set the ISO to 100.
• Shutter speed should be around 1/80.
• The aperture should be f/2.8.
• The focal length should be 50mm to 100mm.
• Flash powers should be around 50% or more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion 

If you have spent a good time wondering about the best camera settings for studio photography, then I have to tell you that it is not going to be complicated. Once you are in photography for long enough, things become a lot more evident and you start learning more and more. I know so many photographers who have every single setting memorized because they just want to go ahead and shoot pictures.

Photography is something that becomes one with the photographer at one point, it is hard to separate the art and the artist, allowing you to create some stunning photographs without a lot of effort. Remember, if you love what you are doing, it will never feel like too much.