How to Take a Picture with a Blurred Background

Most professional portraits have the subject in focus, and the background out of focus. This keeps the background form distracting the viewer from the person or subject.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A camera with a manual setting
• Someone or something to be your subject
• An area where the subject can be at least 8-10 feet from the background. (Depending on your camera, you may not need this much room.)

1. Find where you can change the settings, such as automatic, manual, aperture priority, on your camera. Set the camera to aperture priority, if that is an option, or manual, if it is not. On a basic point and shoot, this may be more time consuming, as all of the settings are accessed through menus. You may find this easier if you have your users' guide handy.

2. Find where you can choose the aperture, or "f-Stop." Set this to the smallest number (ie- 2.8, 4.0, etc.) If you are using aperture priority, you don't need to change any other setting. If you are using the manual setting, you will need to adjust the shutter speed. You will have options such as 30, 60, 100, 250, etc. These represent fractions (1/30, 1/60, etc). You want to choose a high number, such as 100, to start. Take a picture, and if it is too light, make the shutter speed a bigger number. If it is too dark, make the shutter speed a smaller number.

3. After you set your camera's aperture and shutter speed, position your subject 8-10 feet from a wall. It will be easier to tell if the background is out of focus if it is a pattern, or if there are decorations on the wall. Stand as close to your subject as you can to take the picture, and focus on them. Snap the picture, and check out your beautiful portrait with a soft background!

Tips & Warnings

• Choose your shutter speed in the room you will be shooting in, with the light you will be shooting with. If the light changes from when you set your camera, you will need to adjust the shutter speed.
• If you are seriously into photography, investing in a DSLR, or Digital Single Lens Reflex, is a good idea. I prefer the Nikon D70, which can be purchased on ebay or craigslist, usually for less than $400.
• Playing with the distance between you and the subject, and the subject and the background, can often help make an out of focus background. Like anything, practice is the only way you learn.
• Some cameras make it difficult to achieve this look. Most digital cameras are "Point-and-Shoot," which are meant to capture the picture as is, keeping as much as possible in focus.

[doodles312]

on 9/30/2009 makes sense..........thanks

[GoldenIdeas]

on 2/8/2009 The pic at the top was taken with film, but it works with digital just the same. As long as you can set the aperture, you can get a blurry background!

[Butterfli]

on 2/8/2009 Excellent tip! Thanks! 5*and a recommendation for you!

[GreenMomma]

on 2/8/2009 THANKS FOR THE TIP!

[bethjess39564]

on 2/7/2009 Great article on a fascinating topic. I thought the blurry background was made after the picture was taken--too cool.