The best aperture for portraits.

Learn which settings are best for jaw-dropping portraits and how to adjust aperture in post-production.

From weddings and family shoots to graduation and new baby announcements, portraits offer an intimate glance into someone’s life. Use these helpful aperture tips to get shots that stand out and perfectly capture important moments.

Individual portrait aperture.

Set your camera to a wide aperture setting (i.e. a low f-number) to snap a single person. You may need to bump your aperture slightly up or down depending on the light conditions and your particular lens, but f/2 is a solid place to start.

A wide aperture will keep your subject in focus and blur the background to really make them pop against their surroundings.

Group portrait aperture.

For employee photo shoots or wedding party portraits, a slightly less wide aperture should do the trick. Start with f/4 and experiment with slight increases and decreases to get your focus on point.

If you close your aperture too tightly, you’ll end up with everything in focus and an incredibly sharp photo. Learn more about photography and find the balance to keep everyone’s face in focus while the background stays somewhat blurry.

Tips for portrait editing.

After you’ve snapped some great portraits, it’s time to edit them into perfection with a photo editing app. Not only can you fine-tune aperture after the fact, but you can also adjust white balance, saturation, and more. Explore what more you can do with Adobe Lightroom to take your editing skills to the next level.