One window, no other lights, subject turned toward it, you standing with your back to it. Widest aperture available, 1/125 s floor, and let ISO climb to 6400 without flinching. Grain is not the enemy; blur is.
A mode 33-45 mm wide open 1/125 s min ISO auto ≤6400 DR100
The setup
| Control | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | A, wide open | You need every bit of light the lens has |
| Focal length | 33 mm if the room is small, 45 mm if you can back up | Zooming in costs 1 1/3 stops — sometimes the room decides for you |
| Auto ISO | Bank 3, max 6400 (or 12800), min shutter 1/125 s | The floor that keeps faces sharp |
| Focus | AF-S single point, face and eye detection on | Low contrast indoors; give the camera an edge to find |
| Dynamic range | 100% | Low contrast scene — DR would only amplify shadow noise |
| High ISO NR | -1 or -2 | Keeps hair and knitwear as texture rather than mush |
| Film simulation | PRO Neg. Std or ASTIA; CLASSIC CHROME for atmosphere | Soft-contrast simulations suit soft indoor light |
| White balance | AUTO AMBIENCE PRIORITY in warm rooms | Keeps the warmth that made the room feel nice |
Step by step
- Turn off the room lights. Mixed tungsten and daylight is the main reason indoor colour looks wrong. One source is always better than two.
- Place them a metre from the window, body angled about 45 degrees to it, face turned toward it.
- Stand with your back to the window. Now the light is on the face rather than in the lens.
- Watch the shutter speed. If it drops below 1/125 s, open a curtain, move them closer to the window, or raise the ISO ceiling.
- Use the dark side of the room as your background. Darker than the subject means separation without aperture.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Everything slightly soft | Shutter below your handheld floor | Set the Auto ISO minimum shutter to 1/125 s and let ISO rise |
| Orange faces | Tungsten lamps mixed with daylight | Turn the lamps off; or lock about 3200 K; or shoot RAW and fix it later |
| Flat, dull light | Subject facing away from the window, or standing too far into the room | One metre from the window, turned toward it |
| Noisy, mushy shadows | DR200 or DR400 indoors | DR100, and HIGH ISO NR at -1 |
| Blown-out window behind them | Shooting toward the window | Turn around, or accept it as deliberate backlight and add +1.5 EV |
If you have no window — evening, or a dark room — the honest options are to add light (a lamp with a shade, bounced off a white ceiling), accept ISO 6400 to 12800, or convert to black and white in ACROS, where grain reads as intention rather than as a limitation.