memory settings for portraits with A7rii

[DJ72]

Hello Gurus. 

So I have my new A7Rii and I have a session booked soon with a model - I have not done this kind of thing before so I'm nervous.

One idea to save me time and make myself look slightly less amateurish is to prepare my settings in advance, and save it all on M1

AF-C (was thinking of AF-S, but then Eye -AF wont work)

Eye-AF

Face recognition

Focus area - i was going to use wide and hope that Eye-AF and Face recognition would take care of the rest.

The alternative would be to use flexible spot but I am worried that this takes (me) too long to get right. Another idea would be lock-on AF (Center)... this is a real doubt for me. After a week or so with this beautiful machine I cant decide which focus area to elect. I dont think that the model will be running around or moving too much so there wont be too much movement. But then when he does move I dont want to end up with the focus on his beard. 

I would keep in Aperture Priority mode and keep it wide open at 2.8 (I am using Tamron 28mm-70mm) 

AWB/Auto ISO

If I have forgotten anything please let me know - and please, if you have a view on which focus area to use do share. 

 

 

[elgopro]

First off, I'd say relax. You're are going to do awesome on your first official photoshoot! Remember that the emotional state you are in will reflect on the model and the photos you take.

Now for the technical aspect of things, I wouldn't depend on Eye-AF on the A7Rii but you can program it to one of the custom buttons if you want to try it during the shoot (I set it to the AEL button). Eye-AF does work on AF-S but again it may flake on the A7Rii depending on lighting conditions, frame etc.

Face Detection and Focus Area would be my two main tools in a portrait photoshoot. Start off using Wide Focus Area and if there happens to be a situation where your camera doesn't detect the subject's face (like shooting through an object or if there are other distracting faces/people in the area), then switch the Focus Area to Zone or Flexible Spot (I program the Focus Area to button C1 or C2 for quick access to that setting). By programming the setting to a custom button, it will allow you to be quick when changing the settings and help you stay in control of your camera during the shoot.

Don't forget to shoot in RAW to produce optimal image quality from your camera.

Lastly, set the ISO MAX to no more than 1600 for minimal grain and try to keep your shutter speed to at least twice as much as your lens focal length (ex. 50mm lens; 1/100 Shutter speed). Shooting in AWB is fine, but make sure to check and adjust White Balance when editing after the photoshoot.

 

You got this

 

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