Use That Aperture!

When taking portraits/pictures of people, try to do it with the largest possible aperture setting that your camera will allow. Some cameras have a manual mode or aperture priority mode or other type mode where it will allow you to specify the aperture setting. Set the aperture to the smallest possible number value. It may be "2.8"; it may be "2.0"; it may be "4.0". Whatever it is, give it a try when you take your next shot. It will yield two possible advantages: (1) the portrait may look more pleasing to the eye because of the shallower depth of field. In this type of portrait, the subject will tend to stand out from the background more because the background will be more out of focus. (2) the other goodie that you may get out of it will be faster shutter speeds (in aperture priority mode). When the aperture is wide open, it lets in more light, so the camera will compensate buy speeding up the shutter. This will help to make sure that your subject isn't blurry due to motion blur.

- Bob The Camera Man, Hawaii Portrait Photographer