We have all seen beautiful photos where the object is perfectly focused while the background is blurred. Such a photo can be very dramatic and might seem to be hard to shoot. In this article we will give you a few tips on how to shoot blurry background photos that will impress your friends and family. You will also understand what Depth of Field is and how to control it.
Depth of field (also known as DOF for short) is the most important thing to understand before shooting a blurry background photo. Depth of field is defined as the range in which the photo is in focus. For example an infinite depth of field means that the photo will be in focus from a certain distance from the camera and up to infinity. When taking a blurry photo the goal is to set the depth of field just around the object. In this way the object is in focus while the background behind it is not.
How do you control the depth of field? After all there is no “depth of field” menu in the camera (wouldn’t that be nice…). Depth of field is an optical figure that is influenced by a few factors:
The distance of the object from the camera: This is obvious to understand when taken to the extreme. Shooting an object 10 feet from the camera will result in a smaller depth of field than shooting an object 100 feet from the camera. Obviously shooting an object which for all practical purpose is infinite distance from the camera will result in the camera focused on infinity and the depth of field being infinite too..
The aperture: The wider the aperture (f number decreases) the smaller the depth of field and vice versa: the narrower the aperture (f number increases) the greater the depth of field. Just remember that the depth of field changes along with the f number: when the f number increases and depth of field increases and vice versa. Unfortunately you can not just change the aperture as you wish. Changing the aperture results in a need to change the shutter speed (either manually or the camera can most likely do that for you automatically). The wider the aperture the more light that penetrates the lens and the faster the shutter speed needs to be so there is a limit to how wide you can set the aperture to.
The focal length of the lens: The shorter the focal length the greater the depth of field and vice versa the longer the focal length the smaller the depth of field. For example if you use normal lenses at somewhere around 50mm your depth of field will be much greater than if you use zoom lenses at 200mm. With long focal length the depth of field can be extremely small. For that reason zoom lenses are a good choice in order to shoot a good blurry photo that is practically focused only on the object.
After understanding the theory it is best to go to the field an experiment. You will get a sense of how your photo will look like and how blurry the background will be after playing with different lenses, different apertures and different distances from your object. If you own zoom lenses start with taking photos of a relatively close object while using your zoom lenses. You will find out that it is extremely easy to get a blurry background photo using this method even without setting the aperture. Once you feel comfortable with that setup start changing the aperture and also change to your normal 18mm-55mm or similar lenses.
Most cameras allow to manually change the aperture by putting the camera in “A” mode – while you are changing the aperture the camera will automatically set the shutter speed accordingly. Some cameras allow you to manually set both aperture and shutter speed.
In conclusion shooting dramatic blurry background photos is easy with some minimal understanding of depth of field and some experimenting.
Seller: Dan Feildman
"Turn Your Photos Into Cash" is a home study course about making money online through digital photography. Written for anyone who can use a digital camera, the course focuses on selling digital photography through stock photo sites on the Internet. The text and video formats allow different types of learners to make the most of the course.
Product Details:
"Turn Your Photos Into Cash" - The main course is a 129-page Ebook with the following chapters:
- Introduction
- Jump start Your Career
- Before You Begin
- Four Ways to Make Money with Your Digital Photos
- Five Secrets to Making More Money with Your Stock Photos
- Tips and Tricks for Taking Better Photos
- Tips and Tricks for Enhancing Your Photos
The product also comes with the following bonuses:
1. "Offline Opportunities Report" - A 34-page special report about offline ways to make money with digital photography
2. "Slash Your Learning Curve Using These Five Checklists" - Detailed checklists or cheat sheets guide the user through the essential points of the course. The checklists are:
- What You Need to Make Money Online with Your Digital Photos
- The Legalities of Digital Photography
- How to Protect Your Photography
- How to Take Better Photos
- How to Improve Your Image Editing
3. "Five Action Steps Guides" - Step-by-step guide to make money through specific websites. The guides are:
- How to Make Money with iStockPhoto
- How to Make Money with Stockxpert
- How to Make Money with Cafe Press
- How to Find Freelance Projects with Elance
- How to Make Money with Break.com
4. "Turn Your Photos Into Cash Mind Maps" - Excellent for visual learners, the mind maps allow the user to grasp the strategies at a glance. The mind maps offer an excellent overview of the course, and can be used to refresh the lessons in the user's mind. The 8 mind maps are:
- Complete Mind Map
- Introduction
- Jump Start Your Career
- Before You Begin
- Four Ways to Make Money
- Five Secrets to Making More Money
- Tips for Enhancing Photos
- Tips for Taking Better Photos
5. "Turn Your Photos Into Cash" Video - This is the complete home study course in either video or audio-only formats.
Format:
The main course and first four bonuses are digital text files in the form of PDF. The videos are in digital Flash format. These can be either viewed online or downloaded into the user's hard drive. The audio version of the course is in mp3 format, which can be loaded into any mp3 player.
Thoughts on the Product:
"Turn Your Photos Into Cash" was created for anybody who knows how to use a digital camera and has access to a computer with Internet connection. One does not have to be a professional photographer to understand and benefit from the course. While it briefly discusses the technical issues of digital photography, the course really isn't about how to take digital photographs. It is about how to sell those photographs online and make money.
The course presents these marketing strategies in easy to understand language. Even complete newbies or amateur digital photographers will not be overwhelmed or intimidated. The strategies don't take a lot of time or energy to implement. The bonus cheat sheets, step-by-step guides and mind-maps make it even easier to actually take action and simply jump into making money with digital photography.
The video and audio formats will appeal to visual and auditory learners. That you can load the lessons into your mp3 player and listen to them on the go is a definite plus.
Digital photography is a little-known work at home business model, particularly among those who are not professional photographers. With "Turn Your Photos Into Cash," however, even amateur photographers with a little time and motivation can soon be making money with their photographs.
Where to Learn More: Turn Your Photos Into Cash
These days, with the advancements in technology, more and more people are buying cameras. It's very easy to own one because of the improvements in ease of use and maintenance. We don't have to buy rolls of film just to use a camera. It's also easier to take great pictures, because we can preview the image that's going to be taken and if it's not up to standard, it can be deleted in just a press of a button. No film is wasted, and the photos come out as we want them.
It's normal practice to bring a camera everyday, especially those that are compact and lightweight. This is so that every important moment is captured and thus, preserved throughout time. With this in mind, more and more people are getting interested in photography and enjoying it. Even non-professional photographers can take very good pictures, and there shouldn't be any surprise if there are more people who join photography contests, whether it's for the prize, the recognition, or just for fun.
If you're one of the many people who enjoy photography, and someday you hope to enter and win a contest, here are some photography contest tips and advice:
Follow All the Rules Of the Contest
There is always a different set of rules for every contest, and you should be aware of them first and foremost. Familiarize yourself with them and follow them to the letter. You might not understand why some rules are there, but don't assume you can just disregard them. They are there for a reason. It's better to follow the rules rather than have your work returned to you because you did not follow the rules.
Research on Past Entries
Researching on past winning entries will help you learn more about the contest that you want to join and its standards. If you know more about the standards and the judges' basis for a good photograph, you'll have a better edge against the other contestants. You also might get inspired from studying the past entries.
Study the Categories
There are different categories in every contest, and you must consider the requirements of each category before submitting an entry under the category that you've chosen. Your photograph should be focused on the category's topic. Many entries get disqualified for not following the requirements, and it's sad because the photographer may be talented, but the entry is not even seen by the judges because of a technicality. For example, there are categories that might require your picture to have a few items at the background of the photograph's main focus. One missing item may hurt your chances in the contest.
Consider Your Work With a Critical Eye
You might have a photograph that you're really fond of. You might even consider it as your best, because of its meaning to you. Remember, your contest entry will be judged by many different people who are strangers to you. They don't know the story and circumstances behind your favorite work, and they don't care. They are also given a set of guidelines in choosing entries, and each of them has unique standards. If you want a good chance of winning, better submit photographs that are good on all technical factors. For your entry to stand out, your subject should be doing some actions. A subject that is doing something is more noticeable and has more depth compared to a subject that is on a pose.
Send Only Your Best Work
There are contests that allow multiple entries, and if you plan on submitting more than one entry per category, it's better to submit just a few of your best work, rather than submit a lot of entries that include a few decent, but lackluster, photographs. This is to protect how the judges think of your best photograph. If you include a few second-rate photographs, chances are the judges' opinion on those photographs might dampen their opinion on your best entry. Instead of your best photograph standing out, it might get buried under the mediocre ones.
It's easier now to take pictures, and it's even easier to prepare for a contest if you only study how. Apply these photography contest tips and advice, and improve your chances of winning a photography contest.
Computers and cellular phones, mobility and microchips – these are the trademarks of the world today. We live in a world continually changed by technology. Even the arts have continually changed due to technology. Think of it: from charcoal drawings to painting to photography to digital photography, we have come a long way in the visual arts. We have used various methods in capturing life and freezing time. New technology is continually being developed to make art easier and more fun. However, you should know that the art of digital photography is not as simple as aim and shoot.
The art of digital photography needs skill in order to pull off properly. Although some people may reason out that digital photography art can always be edited, many people do not really know how much work editing can be. Oh sure, we can say that technology has reached a level wherein a person needs to do practically nothing in order to achieve a great photograph, but of course, you need to know how to use the tools properly in order to do that.
The art of digital photography, in order to be truly mastered, needs three T's: Time, talent and tactical placement of equipment. No, that's not right. You need time, talent and treasure. Just what does this mean?
1) Time – one cannot be an instant expert in digital photography. You need to take the time to learn all about it. Even though you are some sort of protege who has the talents of a genius, you actually need training to hone that talent. Remember that for all its power, a steamroller cannot be used to do the work of a hammer. There is wisdom in harnessing power properly.
Taking the time to train your self in the art of digital photography is something akin to sharpening a knife using a grindstone or forging a fine katana (that's the Japanese samurai sword) by heating it and folding it over a thousand times –it may be painful, but it is necessary to produce the best.
2) Talent – of course, you need a bit of inherent talent in order to be truly great at the art of digital photography. You need to have an eye for the subjects that would make a great photograph. Otherwise, you will only end up being mediocre in a field that requires greatness.
Of course, the proper training can actually enhance your inherent talent and help you sharpen your skills in the art of digital photography.
3) Treasure – as said before, you will need the proper tools in order to be successful in the art of digital photography. This means that you will need to invest a lot of cash. Although there are a lot of digital art photography equipment that can be bought at inexpensive prices, the best equipment needs some serious pocket digging. This, of course, tests your courage because there's nothing scarier to a man than having to pull out his wallet in the name of an untested interest.
Once you have invested money in the art of digital photography, there's no turning back.
The art of digital photography may seem like it requires a lot. However, in order to be truly successful in something you need love and love always requires sacrifice. You should keep that in mind.
Do you find it quite a challenge to shoot great action shots?
Whether you are shooting a fast moving car or pictures of a soccer match, you may find it some challenges to produce nice photos of those subjects.
In fact, the first thing you’ll realize is that digital Cameras are bad for action shots. That is why first time digital camera users often grumble about how lousy their action shots turn out.
Through some ample combination of careful lighting, focusing , positioning and shutter-speed adjustments, you can take the exact stop action shots. Even if you never take sports photos, knowing how to freeze action allow you capture birds in flight, water splashes, and fleeting childhood moments.
Worry not, the best way to master your digital camera's many buttons and screen menus is through hands-on experience. If setting your camera's shutter to 1/500th of a second gets you that perfect image of your baby mid-bounce, you're more likely to remember how to activate shutter-priority mode next time. So don't spend your time memorizing settings. Instead, remember the following principles for good action photography. Over time, making the camera do your bidding becomes second nature.
1. Move in close.
Using a zoom lens, digital zoom, or your own body, get as close to the action as possible to eliminate distracting backgrounds.
2. Increase your camera's shutter speed.
If your camera has manual mode, shutter-priority mode, or even a preset action mode, use it to prevent blurring caused by movement.
3. Anticipate the action.
When you see the perfect moment on your camera's screen, it's way too late to press the shutter, especially if your camera has a substantial shutter lag. Even if you use burst mode to fire off a bunch of shots in a row, the time to begin taking your shot is about a second before the best action is likely to occur. It takes practice, but you will get the hang of it.
4. Do as much as possible before you take the shot.
Prefocusing and spot metering are easy on most digital cameras. Get in the habit of setting them during breaks in the action. Once your camera has focus and/or exposure locked in, you can concentrate on getting the shot without the drag of shutter lag.
5. Above all, persevere.
Don't get frustrated if many action shots don't turn out, even when you use these techniques. Pros shoot dozens, sometimes hundreds, of frames just to get one good picture. By its very nature, action photography produces lots of wasted shots. Just remember you've got a digital camera, so mistakes don't cost you a thing.
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You must understand the sport game before you start shooting. You have to know how points are scored, what cause penalties, etc. This way, you will understand where the best action is likely to happen. Don’t forget to capture the emotion. Be ready to capture player’s faces on winning, or other emotional action in the game. They should make your photos looks alive!
On the next time you take such shots, do keep the above tips in mind, and I’m pretty sure your results will get better.
All of us had the experience of shooting photos just to find out they look blurry or too soft. In almost all cases the reason for that is camera movement. When the camera moves while the shutter is open the result is a soft or blurry photo. Usually camera movements are small and for that reason in high shutter speeds the camera does not have an opportunity to move enough. However in some scenarios such as slow shutter speeds or high zoom values even the tiniest movement will result in a blurry photo.
Most photos are taken when the camera is held in your hand. The hand is an unstable platform and tends to move quite a bit. Moreover new digital cameras are smaller and lighter than ever before and are much harder to keep stable. Another cause for camera movement is aggressively pushing the shutter button which in return moves the camera. It is always better to squeeze the shutter button very slowly to prevent the camera from moving. Choosing the right camera for weight, grip and shutter button sensitivity is a recommended way to minimize camera movements in the future.
As a general rule photos that are taken with slow shutter speeds or high zoom values should be taken using a more stable platform than your hand. A stable platform can be anything that is stable: a table, a shelf, a chair or a newsstand in the street. However the platform that is considered the most stable and professional is the tripod.
There are many types of tripods and they vary in size, weight, price and other features. The most important criteria when choosing a tripod is to pick one that will be easy to use. For example if you are traveling consider a tripod that is easy to carry and lightweight otherwise you will end up leaving the tripod in the hotel room while missing great photo opportunities. On the other hand if you take photos in a studio consider a heavier professional tripod.
Another important feature to consider is the tripod’s height. Many tripods can be locked at any height up to a maximum. Ideally you would want a tripod that extends to your height allowing photos to be taken from the same angle as your eyes as if they were taken by hand. Many portable tripods extend to a waist height or less. In these situations the tripod will be put on a raised platform or the photos can be taken from a low angle.
In cases where a tripod is not available but a stable platform is needed you can improvise by using many other available platforms around you. For example you can place the camera on a table when taking a photo or if you’re outdoors you can use a newsstand, a tree to lean on, a fence or anything else that is stable enough.
The continuing advances in digital photography make it possible for everyone to capture moments of their lives with more detail and accuracy than ever. Improvements in photo resolution and shutter speed make it easy for both professional photographers and beginners to take great pictures. And even if a photo is not perfect when it is taken, sophisticated editing software can transform it into a work of art.
Experienced photographers say that timing is the most important factor for getting a good picture. There is only a small, limited opportunity to capture a great shot. Whether you are trying to get the perfect sunset photo or get a picture of the winners as they cross the finish line, you must have a good sense of timing and the intuition that lets you know exactly when to press that shutter button. It is this factor that makes photography an art form.
Most people never quite realize the dream of getting a perfect shot. Maybe your picture is framed well, but the lighting is not quite right. Maybe you’ve got the lighting just right, but you forget to use the flash or red-eye reduction option. In cases like these, digital photography offers an excellent way to get just the look you want in a photo.
Any picture you take with a digital camera can be edited to reach its full potential. Digital photos can be automatically enhanced to improve their color; they can be zoomed or cropped to their optimal size. And, of course, the red-eye reduction capability can improve any portrait. These editing options can all be completed within minutes, giving you the chance to have the most wonderful photos you’ve ever taken.
With a good digital camera and photo editing software, you can accomplish great things. The capabilities built into your camera represent only the beginning of the editing potential. Software programs really help you make the most of the photos you have. You can use editing software to change the images in any way you desire.
Local or online retailers can provide you with the equipment, software, and information you need to take great digital photos. When selecting a digital camera, you should be sure you buy one that has the features you need and want. You should look for a model that gives great pictures and that also has simple docking methods for downloading the photos from the camera to the printer or computer. Good photo editing software that will let you alter your digital pictures includes products like Kodak Picture, and Corel Photo Album.
