What shutter speed should I aim for...

[owen]

when attempting DIY studio portrait shots.

I bought some cheap floodlights from Bunnings today and was experimenting around but I found that even with my camera on a tripod, a shutter speed of 1/40 still resulted in quite soft photos. Despite me asking my patient model to remain as still as possible.

Should 1/40 be fast enough or should I be aiming at a quicker shutter speed?

[gstark]

I'd be aiming for something around the 1/125 or 1/250 marj=k, unless you're looking to possibly capture some movement.

It might not matter if you go slower.

or it might.

[owen]

Thanks Gary. I'll do some more experimenting and see how the results turn out.

Cheers,
Owen.

[Yi-P]

1/500 can make black/dark backgrounds, slower gets more details...

[rmp]

I'd say 1/40 is too slow. Try 1/125 to be on the safe side. A slow shutter speed would result in a blurred image, not a soft one. There are soft-focus lenses for a special type of portrait look and the result is different to blur caused by a slow shutter speed.

[owen]

The reason why I said soft instead of blurred is because it is not an obvious movement blur, and the model was as still as possible. But now after seeing everyone's responses I'm almost certain it was due to slow shutter speed now.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

[Raskill]

Maybe it was the cheap lights from Bunnings that caused it?

[Yi-P]

They have photographic lightings at Bunnings??

[owen]

Yes indeed. Items mentioned above may or may not be a fire hazard - use at own risk

[rmp]

Also bear in mind that the sharpness of many lenses varies over the aperture. It's worth taking a few shots at different apertures to determine where you'll get best results from the lens.

[owen]

Yeah, I was using the 50mm 1.8 and I was shooting at apertures that I know to be really sharp.

Thanks.