How to choose the best camera settings for event photography.

Learn to set up your camera for varying light conditions and the quick movements of event photography.

Event photography is a broad term. You could be in a dimly lit banquet hall or outside in bright daylight. No matter which event you shoot, be ready with the right camera settings to capture even the fastest expressions and actions.

Proper camera settings for event photography.

Events happen quickly, and it’s up to you to capture moments in real time. You can’t always pose guests or restage actions, so be sure to catch it the first time. Because guests don’t stay still, set your camera to shutter speeds between 1/100 and 1/200 — this will help to eliminate blur as they move and mingle.

Take test shots of the space beforehand to make sure your photos are clear. If the lighting is too low, here are a few things to do to increase shutter speed in dim lighting:

Increasing the ISO will add more noise to your photos and make them appear grainy, so try to keep it as low as possible without sacrificing shutter speed. You can always reduce noise in editing. Want to know more? Discover tips to help take event photography to the next level.

Use a photo editor to enhance your event shots.

If you stop to make camera setting adjustments during an event, you might miss something important. If your pictures are grainy from a high ISO or turn out under or overexposed, use photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to make adjustments.

With easy-to-use sliders to adjust color, exposure, noise, and much more, you can focus on getting the shots without worrying about picture quality. Explore what more you can do with Lightroom to perfect your event photos.