Using a slr 40eos canon with a 28-135mm lens any tips on taking portrait shots outside of a child standing sti

Question

any tips on taking sharp photos of a child standing still using a canon eos 40d with a 28-135mm lens (out doors) .I dont understand 2.8f is this the type of the lens or is it a setting on

the camera. Just got this camera as a present. Also would love to know if I set the camera to automatic focus does it automatically set the white balance to suit the out door lighting.

I would be so grateful if you could help me on this

I took some portrait shots outside of this child already but no matter how close I got to him with the camera on auto focus when I got the prints out he seemed miles away. Same when I triedc the manuel focus????

Answer 1

The f2.8 refers to the aperture (widest the lens can open to allow light into the camera) .. the widest aperture on the 28-135mm is f3.5 and can go all the way to f22 (the smallest opening allowing the least amount of light) ....

I've found the sweet spot for sharp focus on my lens falls in the range of f8-f11 ... Try shooting in AV mode and try the different f-stop settings. You'll find the depth of field (focus to blur area) changes with each change of the f-stop.  

If you find that using f8-11 (in AV mode) comes out dark in bright light, or the child is moving causing a bit of blur.  Change your ISO to 200 .. and then to 400 etc, to change the sensitivity of the sensor, allowing more light data to be collected.

Generally I shoot my photos with the RAW settings on the camera, so that I can adjust the white balance, later on in post processing, then I convert the file to jpg (jpeg).  

The lens is also a wider lens, and will seem like he's far off.. try zooming in on him from a bit of a distance, then walk forward checking your auto focus, until his face fills the frame, or most of the frame.. you need to experiment with your camera.

One thing I would suggest, is getting the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, it will explain to you the relationship between, aperture, shutterspeed and ISO, and how each affects the other.  Also read your manual.... try all the settings.

A good lens to get for portraits is the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 it's inexpensive at about $90.00.  A great lens to learn on and wonderful in lower light.

Answer 2

2.8f, thats the f-stop of the lens. I know what it is just cant put it on words. Try searching it on yahoo, just type in whats f-stop on lens or camera. F-stop does have an affect on the photo. try using settings between 4.5 - 5.6 and at about 90mm - 105mm.

auto focus and auto WB. setting one to auto dont means that the other will be, u can have manual focus and auto WB or the other way round.

for portrait, its always better to use manual focus. as auto focus usually picks up the closest distance point, and for a person it will be the nose, and for portrait you want to focus on the eyes. if you are not too confitable on the manual focus, try using a one point focus and use the focus on the eye position.  

Hope this helps..

Good luck and have fun.....