CONVERT BACKGROUNDS INTO BACKDROPS

Do you ever wonder how professional photographers get those nice blurred backgrounds? Well, you don't need to apply photo editing software tools after the fact--that doesn't require photography skills. You can create what I call "backdrops" easily, in camera! All you need to know are the basic concepts behind f/stops.

I'll use one of my lenses as an example: my 24mm-70mm zoom lens. Its range is from a semi wide angle lens (24mm) to a semi telephoto (70mm). It's a great range for almost anything, especially since it is a close-focusing lens-I can focus at a closer distance from my subject than other lenses (about 10"). That's a great advantage when I want to blur backgrounds.

I go into more detail in my upcoming book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (be an artist first), but for now, let me break it down to some basics.

I always tell my students not to memorize rules, but to understand concepts. The reason that is so important is because if you try to memorize rules, you will always ask the wrong questions, like, "What f/stop should I use......?" If you learn concepts, you will ask, "What do I want this to look like?" The answer to that question will determine what f/stop you need to achieve what you want. It's not about what you need, but what you want. The want determines the what.




Two simple basic concepts to understand are:
1) The smaller the number (f/2.8, f/4, f/5, etc.), the larger the opening or diaphragm in your lens, therefore MORE blur in the background.
2) The larger the number (f/16, f/18, f/22, etc.), the smaller the opening or diaphragm in your lens, therefore LESS blur in the background.

Let me demonstrate with these three examples. These will show you what to do to get the result you want, and also show you what to watch out for when out in the field.

This first image what shot at close range, at f/22 (read basic concept #2 above).
Notice that, although the background is far away, you can still see some detail in the trees; I didn't get much blur. That detail distracts from the subject I'm trying to photograph--those nice red autumn leaves in the foreground. There is detail in the foreground leaves, but there is also too much detail in the trees and leaves in the background.

This is what can happen if you put your lens on auto focus. If you're not careful, you camera/lens may arbitrarily focus on the wrong subject--in this case, the background trees. Although this shot was also at f/22, even that large number wasn't enough to render both the distant trees and the foreground leaves in sharp focus--just too much physical distance to cover. Result? My intended subject, the foreground leaves, are out of focus! Look familiar? You've seen this before in your photos, right?

Now let's do this right. I took my lens off "auto focus" so that I could manually focus, i.e., focus on those foreground leaves. Secondly, I used an f/stop of f/5 (compared to f/22). Read basic concept #1 above. I used f/5 for demonstration because most lenses allow you to use at least an f/5 f/stop. Results? Nice, clear photo of my desired subject, with a nice blurred backdrop.

These basic concepts will really enhance how your images look. You will start getting those results that make your friends ask, "Did you take this?"

So, go out there and convert backgrounds into backdrops. Have fun with it!

CONVERT BACKGROUNDS INTO BACKDROPS

Do you ever wonder how professional photographers get those nice blurred backgrounds? Well, you don't need to apply photo editing software tools after the fact--that doesn't require photography skills. You can create what I call "backdrops" easily, in camera! All you need to know are the basic concepts behind f/stops.

I'll use one of my lenses as an example: my 24mm-70mm zoom lens. Its range is from a semi wide angle lens (24mm) to a semi telephoto (70mm). It's a great range for almost anything, especially since it is a close-focusing lens-I can focus at a closer distance from my subject than other lenses (about 10"). That's a great advantage when I want to blur backgrounds.

I go into more detail in my upcoming book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (be an artist first), but for now, let me break it down to some basics.

I always tell my students not to memorize rules, but to understand concepts. The reason that is so important is because if you try to memorize rules, you will always ask the wrong questions, like, "What f/stop should I use......?" If you learn concepts, you will ask, "What do I want this to look like?" The answer to that question will determine what f/stop you need to achieve what you want. It's not about what you need, but what you want. The want determines the what.




Two simple basic concepts to understand are:
1) The smaller the number (f/2.8, f/4, f/5, etc.), the larger the opening or diaphragm in your lens, therefore MORE blur in the background.
2) The larger the number (f/16, f/18, f/22, etc.), the smaller the opening or diaphragm in your lens, therefore LESS blur in the background.

Let me demonstrate with these three examples. These will show you what to do to get the result you want, and also show you what to watch out for when out in the field.

This first image what shot at close range, at f/22 (read basic concept #2 above).
Notice that, although the background is far away, you can still see some detail in the trees; I didn't get much blur. That detail distracts from the subject I'm trying to photograph--those nice red autumn leaves in the foreground. There is detail in the foreground leaves, but there is also too much detail in the trees and leaves in the background.

This is what can happen if you put your lens on auto focus. If you're not careful, you camera/lens may arbitrarily focus on the wrong subject--in this case, the background trees. Although this shot was also at f/22, even that large number wasn't enough to render both the distant trees and the foreground leaves in sharp focus--just too much physical distance to cover. Result? My intended subject, the foreground leaves, are out of focus! Look familiar? You've seen this before in your photos, right?

Now let's do this right. I took my lens off "auto focus" so that I could manually focus, i.e., focus on those foreground leaves. Secondly, I used an f/stop of f/5 (compared to f/22). Read basic concept #1 above. I used f/5 for demonstration because most lenses allow you to use at least an f/5 f/stop. Results? Nice, clear photo of my desired subject, with a nice blurred backdrop.

These basic concepts will really enhance how your images look. You will start getting those results that make your friends ask, "Did you take this?"

So, go out there and convert backgrounds into backdrops. Have fun with it!







   out how easy it can be to achieve professional
 looking photos.