Which settings for a portrait?

[BlueX]

It also looks like there is some camera shake so a tripod or some kind of support will help improve the quality of the shot. I also think you should clean up the background a bit or chose a background with less distractions if you can't get a shallow depth of field. I'm not sure how much effort and time you two want to put into this production, but dressing up a little and posing can also improve things (horizontal strips are unually not very flattering).

Here's a website filled with tips and videos on taking portraits and looking good in pictures:

http://www.lookgoodinpictures.com/

[kat]

It also looks like there is some camera shake so a tripod or some kind of support will help improve the quality of the shot. I also think you should clean up the background a bit or chose a background with less distractions if you can't get a shallow depth of field. I'm not sure how much effort and time you two want to put into this production, but dressing up a little and posing can also improve things (horizontal strips are unually not very flattering).

Here's a website filled with tips and videos on taking portraits and looking good in pictures:

http://www.lookgoodinpictures.com/

Ha ha..I couldn't help but smile at that video!

[BlueX]

Ha ha..I couldn't help but smile at that video!

Which one? Carson is quite a character!

[kat]

A Walk In the Park. He's so full of energy you can't help but smile!

I tell yah though..I wish I could get to know my camera on one date with it :P

He had some great tips for starting out though..and he does know his fashion!!

[BlueX]

Yeah, that site is a good source of info. I usually didn't pay attention to these things when taking picutures of people, but it really matters when you want a good looking pic.

[mindforge]

Great advice from everyone so far. I'll repeat a few things here probably.

1. Light.Light.Light. Move some stuff around, use a window and put a white sheet on the other side opposite the window to bounce some light back on on her. Shut off lights that might conflict with the sunlight of the window. If you can keep it out of the shot, put a white sheet on the ground too, unless you want to go more dramatic from the window - in that case, use only the window light (you can use a black sheet on the other side to kill reflections off your white walls.

2. I had a Sony a200 (given to my mother now) and don't use the lens at 70mm... bring it back just a little down to 50-60mm.. the 70mm on that kit lens is not its best spot, just dial back a little bit.

3. The background is just as important. You can put her standing in front of a window, put house plants behind her (or something interesting). Get something in the foreground if you can, just to create some dimension to the image.

Instead of thinking about this as "just a thing for her facebook", get into it and try to take the best picture you ever have. Take an hour or two and get into it.

[Vladimir Naumoff]

I agree with all members above and this is just a reminder that when you uploading your photo to Facebook it crops it. So make sure you give a little space on the sides for the cropping. I think it gives you a cropping dimensions on your profile page. If you resizing your picture from large to small it's better to shoot your portrait with 100mm macro lens. or set your lens at 50mm and use your legs to get her in focus. The cropped sensor will convert your 50mm to 85mm which is industry standard for portraiture.

[Kawarthabob]

I don't want to sound mean but it looks like your wife really didn't want her pic taken. It looks as if she just finished house work and the eye leads into the noisy backround with the vacuum and all. Plan a night out to dinner or whatever and she will be all "dressed up to the nines" ( hair, makeup etc) then take her pic when she feels good and has a smile on her face. Try shooting outside and use manual focus so the backround is blurred a bit. that way she will be the object , not the stuff in the backround.

[pop123]

Kat's advice is spot on. To that which she has mentioned, I'll add: Shoot at her eye level rather that up at her; find a plain background, a medium or darker tone to contrast her hair and skin, crop more tightly on her head and shoulders, and avoid cropping little bits of body parts (in this case the upper portion of her left arm). Bold crops are fine, provided they don't bisect a joint, but little bits tend to give the impression of careless composition.
Canon EF-S 18-135MM F/3.5-5.6 IS AF

[sclewin]

I'm not sure how much effort and time you two want to put into this production, but dressing up a little and posing can also improve things (horizontal strips are unually not very flattering).

Its for Facebook, so I don't want to place too much effort into the picture. Also, because it is for facebook, the picture will need to be casual.

I am just using this opportunity to learn about my new camera (a Sony Alpha 200) and to learn a little about photography.