How to shoot subject with blurred background

Shooting a picture with a blurred background is as simple as 1 2 and 3. You just need to know the basic concept behind this effect. Before we carry on with our tutorial to shoot subject with a blurred background, it’s important for us to get acquainted with the basic logic behind this effect.

Try this : Keeping your right eye closed with one hand, take your finger close to your left eye. Now focus on the finger. You will feel a blurry background.

So what exactly happened ?

Your eye lens adjusted it’s focal length to a smaller value to view the subject(finger) in focus, thereby blurring the background. This is what exactly happens in case of the camera. So the basic thing is to adjust and decrease the focal length of the camera lens till we get the blurry effect.


Condition to shoot with this effect:

”Your subject must be very close to the camera and the background must be a bit distant (8 feet approx. from subject). This is the prime condition that must be fulfilled if you wish to capture such photograph”

Step 1: If your camera is an SLR or any other camera with manual settings, then you will have to configure the aperture control settings. Choose a low value of focal length say 2.0 or 3.0 and set the shutter speed to a larger value like 100, 200 or 400. Now bring the object close to the camera, ensuring that it is at least 5 feet distant from the background.

Step 2: If you are using point-and-shoot cameras that comes with a built in feature of shooting a subject with blurred background, then press down the shoot button slightly, till you get this desired effect to shoot. The focal length of the camera lens (2.0 to 3.0) will be displayed on the LCD panel.
Sample photo that i clicked with my digital camera :

It's that easy. For a very lively looking effect try to choose a colorful background,i mean the background must not a white painted wall or something like that otherwise the effect will be less perceptible.

Posted in: Shooting effects