Indoor Photography Settings And Tips!

Would you like to know which indoor photography settings to use to get the best results when shooting indoors, even in low light?

Yes?

Perfect!

Because today, I’m going to give you walk you through, step by step, how I approach shooting indoors, and what indoor photography settings I’m most likely to use.

Watch the episode below first, then keep reading for even more on indoor photography settings!

-- LINKS & RELATED CONTENT --

► Why are my images so grainy?

► How to Choose Your Settings in Manual Mode

► Free Manual Mode Cheat Sheet

Grab your Manual Mode Cheat Sheet here!

Step 1: Look for the Light

Before you even think about your camera settings for shooting indoors, you must first look for the light. Light is everything in photography, and shooting indoors is no different!

So the first thing I’m going to do is identify the light source, which if you are using natural light and shooting indoors, is usually going to be a window (that said, you can use an open door too!) You want to choose a room that has a nice big window - one that is larger than your subject - so that we can maximise the available light, especially if it is overcast or cloudy outside.

When you’ve found your window, place your subject close to the light source - I often see people complain of not having a lot of light, and then I see that they have their subject about a mile from the window! So get them nice and close - again, we’re trying to maximise the light hitting our subject.

(Watch the video to see the difference in your settings based on where you place your subject with regard to the light!)

Step 2: Switch To Manual Mode

You definitely, definitely, definitely don’t want to be shooting in AUTO mode when shooting indoors, as that’s not going to give you the control you need!

I HIGHLY recommend shooting in manual mode so that you have control over ALL three settings on your camera. Being in control of each setting really helps with indoor photography, so if you are not yet shooting in manual mode, perhaps now is the time to make the switch :-)

If you’re not confident enough to shoot in manual mode, then at least move away from AUTO and shoot in Aperture Priority Mode!

Step 3: Choose Your Aperture Setting

Once you have your subject positioned correctly, then we can move onto our camera settings! In most cases, I’ll set my aperture first, and indoors is no exception.

If you are working in low light, then you are going to want to keep this aperture number nice and low.

What can help here is to choose a lens that allows you to open up to a wider aperture. So if you are using the kit lens that came with your camera, your maximum aperture might be F4.5, but if you can switch out that lens for something like a 50mm F1.8, then you’ll be able to let more light in, as the lens can open up to a wider aperture.

If you are not sure which aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings you should be using, you can download my FREE manual mode cheat sheet to help!

Step 4: Choose Your Shutter Speed Setting

I recommend choosing a shutter speed that is fast enough to capture any motion in your image without introducing motion blur.

Motion blur is when you get blurring in your images, just because of the movement of your subject. Slight motion blur actually looks a lot like missed focus, OR it can make it seem as though your images have more grain or noise than they actually do, so making sure you have a high enough shutter speed is really important for a clear, crisp image.

On the other hand, you don’t want to go TOO high, as this will reduce the light coming into your camera and force you to use a higher ISO, so it’s a bit of a balancing act! The thing to always bear in mind is that most of the time, a sharp image with some noise is better than a blurry image with less noise. Just sayin’.

Remember, noise can be reduced in editing software like Lightroom, but you can’t “fix” a blurry photo in processing!

Step 5: Choose Your ISO Setting

The final setting is your ISO number, and I recommend that you keep that as low as possible, whilst still maintaining correct exposure.

That last bit is the important bit - as whatever you do, don’t be tempted to underexpose in order to use a lower ISO number, that will just make any noise or grain much, much worse.

Noise lurks in the shadows, so when you raise the exposure in processing, you actually make the noise more visible throughout your image. That means a photo taken with a lower ISO but underexposed will have MORE grain than an image taken with a higher ISO but that has been exposed correctly.

Here’s Your Next Steps!

OK, let’s wrap this up and make it actionable!

Go grab yourself a stuffed toy like I have done in the video, and put these steps into practice! Always start by looking at the light FIRST, and identifying the room that has that nice big window, and place your subject facing it. Then the main trick for indoor photography is to make sure that you take control of ALL the settings on your camera, preferably in Manual Mode, and use those those settings to maximise the light available.

Don’t forget I have that lovely little bonus for you, that manual mode cheat sheet. Click on the image below to grab your free copy.

Now over to you!

Let me know in the comments below how YOU feel about shooting indoors, and what indoor photography settings you typically use! Or let me know what problems you have, as we take note of comments and questions we get so we can continue to make content that helps you on your photography journey.

With SO much love ❤️,
XO Audrey