is most often seen in the studio, where background dis-
tance can be controlled, thus limiting the sharpness only
to the subject.
There are those, too, who will shoot at the same aper-
ture nearly every time. Why, when there is almost infinite
variability to the lens aperture, would one choose the
same aperture every time? Because these photographers
know that aperture inside and out and can predict the
final results—both the region of focus and depth of
field—at almost any working distance. It is the pre-
dictability that they like.
Optimum Aperture.It is said that the optimum aper-
ture of any lens is 1/^12 to 2 stops from wide open. This
optimum aperture corrects spherical and some chromatic
aberrations experienced when the lens is used wide open.Shutter Speeds.
Your shutter speed must eliminate both camera and sub-
ject movement. If you are using available light and a tri-
pod,/^130 to^1 / 60 second should be adequate to stop average
subject movement (the tripod eliminates camera move-
ment).
Outdoors.When working outdoors, you should gen-
erally choose a shutter speed faster than^1 / 30 second be-
cause slight breezes will cause the hair to flutter,
producing motion during the moment of exposure.
Handholding.If you are handholding the camera,
the general rule of thumb is to select a shutter speed set-
ting that is the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens.
For example, if using a 100mm lens, use/^1100 second (or
the next highest equivalent shutter speed, like^1 / 125 ) under
average conditions. If you are very close to the subject, as
you might be when making a head-and-shoulders por-
trait, you will need to use a faster shutter speed (higher
image magnification requires this). When farther away
from the subject, you can revert to the reciprocal shutter
speed.
Moving Subjects.When shooting moving children,
use a faster shutter speed and a wider lens aperture. It’s
more important to freeze your subject’s movement than
it is to have great depth of field for this kind of photo. If
you have any doubts about the right speed to use, always
use the next fastest speed to ensure sharper images.
With Flash.If you are using electronic flash and a
camera with a focal-plane shutter, you are locked into the
X-sync speed your camera calls for. With focal plane shut-
ters, you can always use flash and a slower-than-X-sync
shutter speed, a technique known as “dragging the shut-
ter,” meaning to work at a slower-than-flash-sync speed
to bring up the level of the ambient light. This effectively
creates a flash exposure that is balanced with the ambient-
light exposure.16 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
Timing and anticipation are the key ingredients in this great por-
trait of a boy and his dogs. This is a portrait that every parent
would cherish. Janet Baker Richardson made this image with T-
Max film and a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the oncoming
action. She made sure to hold focus on the boy moving toward
her, oblivious to the camera. Janet likes to find what she calls
“pockets of pretty light” around clients’ homes. Here, she har-
nessed the weak Southern California morning sunshine, which is
often diffused by thin cloud cover overhead.