by Eddie Bonfigli
The phrase "blurring the background"
refers to the effect that is achieved
when the subject in your photograph
appears sharply in focus, but
the scene behind the subject (background)
appears pleasantly blurred -- that
is, it looks soft and out of focus.
This can prove to be a very appealing
effect with any subject, young, old, or
inanimate.
There are 4 factors involved in
achieving this effect:
1. Long lens.
Use an 85mm or longer fixed or zoom lens.
2. Wide aperture.
Set the aperture to f4, or wider. With
long lenses such as 200mm, f5.6 will do.
3. Distant background.
Situate your subject such that the
background is at a great distance. The
further away the background is from
your subject, the more pronounced
the blur or soft effect will be in your
final photographs.
Often I will place my subjects so that
the background is several hundred yards
in the distance. With a wide aperture,
this greatly blurs the background, making
it appear soft and impressionistic.
4. Close subject.
Stay close to your subject. The closer
you get to your subject, the more blur will
result. This is why it is often easier to
achieve the blurred effect with head shots,
and harder to do with full length portraits.
If you haven't experimented with this
effect, go ahead a put the tips above
to use and see what you get. Then,
send your best results to our
Visitor Showcase so we can
marvel at your newly acquired skills!
--Eddie. |
