To take portraits with a pleasingly blurred background, often called bokeh, you can adjust your camera settings and positioning according to specific techniques.
Achieving a blurred background helps your subject stand out, creating a professional and artistic look for your portraits. The key is to minimize the depth of field and maximize the separation between your subject and the background.
Essential Techniques for Blurred Portrait Backgrounds
Based on established practices, here are the key methods to achieve that desired background blur in your portrait photography:
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Use a Low f-stop Number: This refers to a wide aperture setting on your lens.
- Ideally, use an f-stop number between f/1.4 and f/2.8.
- Lower f-numbers allow more light into the camera but critically, they also create a very shallow depth of field, meaning only a narrow plane of focus is sharp, blurring everything in front of and behind it.
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Use a Lens with a Long Focal Length: Longer lenses naturally compress perspective and help isolate the subject.
- Employ a focal length of approximately 50mm and upwards.
- Lenses like 85mm, 100mm, or even longer telephotos are excellent for achieving significant background blur in portraits.
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Stand Close to Your Subject: The closer you are to your subject, the shallower the depth of field becomes around them.
- This proximity enhances the blurring effect on the background, making your subject pop.
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Position Your Background Far Away from Your Subject: Distance between the subject and the background is crucial.
- The further the background is, the more out-of-focus it will appear.
- Keep the background simple and uncluttered so that when it blurs, it forms pleasing, soft shapes rather than distracting elements.
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Use a DSLR or Micro Four Thirds Camera: These types of cameras generally have larger sensors compared to smartphones or compact cameras.
- Larger sensors, combined with interchangeable lenses that offer wide apertures, make it significantly easier to achieve shallow depth of field and pronounced background blur.
By combining these techniques, you can effectively control the depth of field and create beautiful portraits with soft, blurred backgrounds that direct the viewer's attention squarely onto your subject.
Summary Table
| Technique | What it Does for Blur | Ideal Setting/Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Aperture Setting | Controls depth of field | Low f-stop (f/1.4 - f/2.8) |
| Focal Length | Magnifies blur & compresses scene | Long focal length (50mm+) |
| Camera-Subject Distance | Affects depth of field | Stand close to subject |
| Subject-Background Distance | Increases blur effect on background | Position background far away |
| Camera Type | Enables wider aperture lenses | DSLR or Micro Four Thirds |
