If you have admired photographs in which the background has blurred to a wash of color, you need to be able to select a wide open aperture for your camera's lens to create this effect. Shooting in automatic mode will rarely give you this effect.
The farther away the background is from the subject you are focused on, the more effective the technique is.
To learn how to make this and other creative effects with your camera, check out my one-day Getting to Know Your Digital SLR Camera class on January 27, 2018, in Missoula, Montana. (There's also a session on February 24.) Any camera that allows you to switch lenses is appropriate for this class. Click here to register online.
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| A wide aperture of f/4 allowed me to blur the background and concentrate attention on the foreground lupine blossoms. |
The farther away the background is from the subject you are focused on, the more effective the technique is.
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| A wide f/4 aperture, a short telephoto focal length of 85mm and a distant background combine to blur the background in this portrait. |
To learn how to make this and other creative effects with your camera, check out my one-day Getting to Know Your Digital SLR Camera class on January 27, 2018, in Missoula, Montana. (There's also a session on February 24.) Any camera that allows you to switch lenses is appropriate for this class. Click here to register online.