A repeat post(*) about a beginners tip we all forget sometimes: there are several things that all contribute to the blurred backgrounds we all love (“narrow depth of field”). And they are….
- Selecting a larger aperture (a lower f-number)
- Zooming in (using a telephoto lens, not a wide angle lens)
- Getting closer
ALL those work. So why forget numbers 2 and 3? If you do not have an f/1.4 lens use an f/5.6 lens but get close!
Here’s me demonstrating this point to two students the other night:
Some blurring of the lady in the background – but not a lot (that was f/2.8 on a point-and-shoot Fuji X100 camera- which gives a depth of field equivalent to around f/4.0 on a full frame camera).
Now, same settings exactly, but let’s get close:
Hey presto – dramatic blurring of the lady in the background. It can be as simple as that.
(*) a repeat post on this subject – why? Simple: you learn by repetition. Also, of course not everyone has read all prior posts. Finally, you’ll see a slight difference in how I explain things, when I explain them several times, and that is a useful difference, designed to help you learn.