I exclusively photograph people. I love hanging out with people and I love listening to their stories.
I love blurry backgrounds because they bring all the attention where I want it-- to my subject's face. In addition, a gorgeously blurry background seems so high end, dreamy, and beautiful. There's a lot of things that goes into achieving a blurry background, and it's nice to know your options.
1. Lower your aperture
Learning about aperture is Camera 101. I usually shoot as wide open as possible. Click here to read about how I usually set my camera settings!
2. Longer focal length
The focal length of a lens is the number in front of "mm." The longer the focal length, the further away you may have to stand from your subject, but the more blurry the background is. For example I took these photos in the same exact location. I used a 100mm focal length and a 35mm focal length, but didn't change my camera settings.
Lens Used: Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro
Lens Used: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art
3. Get closer to your subject
The closer you are to your subject, the more blurry the background will be. This concept applies to your phone camera as well! These photos were taken seconds apart with the exact same camera settings.
3. Have your subject farther away from the background
The closer the subject is to the background, the less blurry the background will be. This concept applies to your phone camera as well! These photos were taken seconds apart with the exact same camera settings.
Having a shallow depth of field is one way to really make your subject POP in an image. Play around with your style and figure out if blurry backgrounds appeal to you!
