Camera Settings for Headshots: All You Need to Know 2021

So, what are the best camera settings for headshots?

Well, first you're going to need a dSLR camera and at least an 85mm lens. I've placed links to articles on what equipment to buy at the bottom of this page.

For now through, here's the short version of what you need to know:

​The Best Camera Settings for Headshots (in a nutshell):

Shoot with your camera on MANUAL so that the images don't change shot to shot and you can process them all easily in a photo editing application like Adobe Lightroom. Set your focus mode to SINGLE-POINT and aim to focus on the subject's eyes when shooting.

​Camera Settings for Outdoor Headshots: You should aim to blur out the background completely, meaning you'll need a wide-open aperture and long lens. Shoot at f/2.8 or wider, 85mm or longer lens, 1/200 shutter speed, and ISO 400 or lower.

Camera Settings for Indoor Headshots: You should aim to keep the ISO as low as possible and everything in the image as sharp as possible. Shoot at f/5.6 or higher, 85mm or longer lens, 1/200 shutter speed, and ISO 200 or lower.

​Now, let's go into a bit more depth.

Shot with a 70-200mm f/2.8 Nikon D Lens (Nikon d90 Camera)

​There are many different ways to shoot headshots, and there is no one best shutter speed or aperture setting to use. But I can definitely give you my best recommendation of what typically works well for me.

When shooting a blurred-background headshot, we usually use a long lens and close the aperture just a little bit because it looks nicer than using a short lens with an extremely wide aperture (otherwise the subject's ears get so blurry that it almost looks as though they're swimming in a pool of blur!).

When shooting a flat-backdrop headshot, we try to keep our aperture stopped down so the subject remains completely in-focus. The only time we open the aperture wide is if the client wants a more artistic-looking shot. This can be nice, but make sure your client is aware that you're shooting like that or they might complain afterwards, asking why their clothing or jewelry were blurry – even if their eyes were sharp.

Blurred out background from a wide aperture (135mm f/2).

​What is the Best Shutter Speed for Portraits?

​The best shutter speed to shoot headshots at is 1/200th of a second. The reason for this is because at this speed, almost all normal human movement will be stopped.

You don't want to pose your clients and ask them to completely stay still because it can ruin the energy of the shoot. Instead, it's best to let them move around a bit! But to freeze that movement, you need a fairly fast shutter speed to absolutely stop that motion (a photo with shutter blur will absolutely not be usable as a professional headshot).

The reason I don't recommend shooting at a faster shutter speed is because if you ever plan to use flash for your shoots, you'll run into shutter sync problems. Shutter sync is beyond the scope of this article, but what it basically means is that when the shutter speed of a camera is too fast, it won't sync up properly with the flash and the image will look dark.

​That being said, you're welcome to shoot at higher shutter speeds if you're not using flash. There's no problem with doing that!

​What Aperture is Best for Headshots?

​The best aperture to use is going to be anything at f/2.8 or larger (like f/2 or f/1.4) if you want to blur the background, or anything at f/5.6 or smaller if you're shooting on a flat backdrop in a studio.​

The wider open the aperture is (smaller F number), the blurrier the background gets.

Keep in mind that you'll usually want to have everything in the image as sharp as possible for flat backdrop photos and you'll want to COMPLETELY blur out the background for blurred-background shots. This is why we almost never use apertures between f/2.8 and f/5.6 – they generally don't do either task well.

If you're doing shots with a natural, blurred background and are not used to shooting at such wide apertures, start at f/2.8 and with practice you can begin opening the aperture wider. We know it can be difficult to keep the subject's eyes sharp at such a wide aperture, but the more the blur, the nicer and more stylized your blurred-backdrop headshot will look!
​

​How Do You Shoot a Perfect Headshot?
Download our Free "Shoot Headshots that Pop" eBook

Learn how to shoot headshots that clients pay WAY more for. We normally sell this guide on our website for $29.95, but are offering it for free for a limited time.

​It condenses the best of what we've learned over the past decade into a simple, step-by-step system.

Here's what's covered:

• Cameras, Lenses, and Settings that Pro Headshot Photographers Use: Shooting a great headshot starts with knowing your equipment so you can take photos clients will pay BIG bucks for
• Framing, Lighting and Backdrop Secrets: Learn how to use your equipment to capture images that pop and look "high-end." Here we'll show you the real difference between a true "pro" headshot and an "amateur" headshot
• Advanced Directing Tips to Capture Amazing Expressions, plus everything you need to know to advise your clients on clothing, makeup, hair, and even how to find their "brand"

Send Me the eBook!

​What ISO Should I Use for Headshots?

You should shoot headshots at ISO 400 or lower ideally. Higher than this begins to look too grainy on most cameras.

As you can see from the photo above, the higher the ISO, the grainier the image appears. Therefore, as a general rule in all types of photography, you should always aim to keep the ISO as low as you can.

This means adding more light if necessary, opening up the aperture if needed, or even slowing down the shutter speed a bit.

However, you should first set your camera settings for headshots based on the aperture and shutter speed settings, and adjust the ISO last. This is because these days, most cameras are relatively low-noise, meaning even at higher ISO settings like 1600-2000, the grain is minimal, especially if your headshot clients will be using their image in a small format like LinkedIn.

In Summary

The best camera settings for headshots are always going to be based on the specific situation you're shooting in. As a general rule of thumb, keep your ISO as low as you can while ensuring you're not blurring the subject incorrectly.

If you follow the settings outlined in this article as a starting point, it will be easier for you to begin experimenting with other settings as you get more experienced and want to try more creative shots.

​Good luck!

​Further Reading:

Want to learn more about headshots? Check out the three resources below:
​

• The Best Cameras to Use for Headshots
• The Best Lenses to Use for Headshots
• Actor Headshots: The Ultimate Guide