HOW TO GET A BLURRY BACKGROUND IN-CAMERA! Depth of field explained.

Summary

In this informative video, professional photographer Simone shares four key techniques to achieve blurrier backgrounds in photography, often referred to as 'bokeh.' She explains the concept of depth of field and how wider apertures, longer focal lengths, closer subject distances, and further background distances can create the desired effect. Simone also debunks the myth that larger sensors inherently produce blurrier backgrounds, clarifying that it's the combination of equipment settings and creative choices that truly make the difference.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Squarespace is the sponsor of the video and offers an all-in-one solution for websites and domains.
• 📸 The video aims to teach how to achieve blurry backgrounds in photography, often desired in portraiture and wildlife photography.
• 🌌 'Bokeh' is a Japanese term that describes the aesthetic quality of the blur in the background of a photo.
• 🔍 The blurriness of the background is primarily due to being out of focus, with a thinner depth of field leading to a blurrier background.
• 📐 Depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest parts of a photo that are acceptably sharp.
• 🔑 Using a wider aperture (smaller f-number) on a lens can create a thinner depth of field and thus a blurrier background.
• 🔭 Prime lenses often have larger maximum apertures than zoom lenses, allowing for more pronounced background blur.
• 📷 Longer focal lengths naturally create a thinner depth of field and blurrier backgrounds when shot at similar distances.
• 👀 Increasing the magnification by using longer focal lengths or zooming in makes the background appear blurrier due to seeing a smaller slice of it.
• 🚶‍♂️ Getting physically closer to the subject can create a blurrier background by narrowing the depth of field.
• 🏞️ Placing the background further away from the subject, or changing the vantage point to increase the distance between them, results in a more blurred background.
• 📐 Contrary to a common myth, sensor size does not directly affect the blurriness of the background; it's the combination of lens aperture and distance to the subject that matters.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to teach viewers how to achieve blurry backgrounds in their photographs using various techniques and equipment settings.

What does the term 'bokeh' refer to in photography?

In photography, 'bokeh' refers to the aesthetic quality of the blur in the out-of-focus areas of an image, specifically the background.

Why are blurry backgrounds often prized in certain photography genres?

Blurry backgrounds are often prized in genres like portraiture or wildlife photography because they help to make the subject stand out by creating a smooth and soft-looking background, which contrasts with the sharp subject.

What is the 'depth of field' and why is it important for achieving a blurry background?

The 'depth of field' is the distance between the closest and farthest parts of a photo that are acceptably sharp. It is important for achieving a blurry background because a thinner depth of field means a smaller area in focus, resulting in more out-of-focus and thus blurrier backgrounds.

How does using a wider aperture setting on a lens affect the background blur?

Using a wider aperture setting (smaller F number) on a lens creates a thinner plane of acceptable focus, resulting in a shallower depth of field and thus a blurrier background.

What is the relationship between the maximum aperture of a lens and the ability to achieve a blurry background?

A lens with a larger maximum aperture can open wider, allowing more light and creating a thinner depth of field, which in turn makes it easier to achieve a blurrier background.

Why might prime lenses be preferred over zoom lenses for achieving a blurry background?

Prime lenses, which have a fixed focal length, are often offered with faster apertures than zoom lenses, allowing for a larger maximum aperture and thus the ability to create smoother, blurrier backgrounds.

How does the choice of focal length affect the depth of field and background blur?

Longer focal lengths create a thinner depth of field, resulting in a blurrier background. Additionally, the magnification effect of longer focal lengths makes the background appear blurrier even if the depth of field remains the same.

What is the effect of getting closer to the subject on the background blur?

Getting closer to the subject causes the light rays to converge more steeply, creating a thinner depth of field and a blurrier background.

How can the distance between the subject and the background impact the background blur?

The farther the background is from the subject, the more out-of-focus and blurrier it will appear, due to the gradual transition from in-focus to out-of-focus areas in an image.

What myth does the video aim to dispel about sensor sizes and background blur?

The video aims to dispel the myth that larger sensors inherently create blurrier backgrounds. It explains that it is not the sensor size but the field of view and the photographer's choice to get closer to the subject that contributes to a blurrier background.

How can a photographer implement the techniques discussed in the video to achieve a blurrier background?

A photographer can implement these techniques by using a lens with a large maximum aperture set to its widest, choosing a longer focal length, getting closer to the subject, and positioning the subject with a farther background.

Outlines

00:00

📷 Understanding Bokeh and Depth of Field

This paragraph introduces the video, sponsored by Squarespace, and sets the stage for a tutorial on achieving blurry backgrounds in photography, also known as bokeh. The speaker, Simone, a professional photographer, promises to debunk myths about sensor sizes and explain the actual factors that contribute to background blurriness. The summary of techniques to create a shallow depth of field is introduced, which is essential for background blur. The concept of depth of field is explained as the area in focus, with a visual aid to understand how light rays converge on the sensor to create focus, and how a thinner depth of field results in a blurrier background.

05:00

🔍 Techniques for Achieving Blurry Backgrounds

The paragraph delves into the specifics of creating blurry backgrounds through various photographic techniques. It emphasizes the use of a wider aperture to achieve a thinner depth of field, with examples given to illustrate how smaller F-numbers correlate with blurrier backgrounds. The importance of lens selection is highlighted, with prime lenses often offering faster apertures than zoom lenses, which is beneficial for bokeh. The paragraph also touches on the impact of focal length, explaining how longer focal lengths naturally produce a shallower depth of field and the illusion of increased background blur when the subject size is constant. Practical advice is given on using the longest end of a zoom lens and leveraging the magnification effect of long focal lengths for maximum background blur.

10:02

🌟 Proximity and Background Distance for Enhanced Bokeh

This paragraph discusses additional methods for enhancing background blur, such as getting physically closer to the subject, which naturally results in a shallower depth of field. The minimum focus distance of lenses is mentioned as a limiting factor. Moreover, the technique of increasing the distance between the subject and the background is explored, which, despite not altering the depth of field, creates a more pronounced background blur due to the gradual change in focus from the subject to the background. The paragraph concludes with a practical tip on adjusting the photographer's position to maximize background blur by increasing the background's distance from the subject.

📚 Sensor Size Myth and Final Thoughts

In the final paragraph, a common misconception about sensor size and its impact on background blur is addressed. The speaker clarifies that while larger sensor cameras may appear to produce blurrier backgrounds, it is not due to the sensor size itself but rather the wider field of view that often necessitates getting closer to the subject, thus increasing background blur. The distinction is made that the image circle and the resulting background blur remain consistent regardless of sensor size. The video concludes with an encouragement to apply the shared knowledge to create unique and impressive photographs and a prompt for viewers to like the video for increased visibility.

Keywords

💡Bokeh

Bokeh refers to the aesthetic quality of the blur in the out-of-focus areas of an image, often seen in the background of a photograph. It is a Japanese word pronounced 'bouquet' but commonly pronounced as 'bokeh' in the English-speaking world. In the video, bokeh is used to describe the desired effect of having a smooth and soft-looking background that makes the main subject stand out more prominently.

💡Depth of Field

Depth of field (DoF) is the distance between the nearest and furthest objects in a scene that are acceptably sharp in an image. A thinner depth of field results in a more pronounced background blur. The video explains that to achieve a blurrier background, one needs a thinner DoF, which can be accomplished by using a wider aperture, longer focal length, getting closer to the subject, or positioning the subject further from the background.

💡Aperture

Aperture is the opening in a camera lens through which light passes to enter the camera. It is represented by an f-number and controls the amount of light that reaches the sensor. A wider aperture (a smaller f-number) allows more light and creates a thinner depth of field, resulting in a blurrier background. The script mentions setting the lens aperture to the smallest f-number possible to achieve this effect.

💡Focal Length

Focal length is the distance from the center of the lens to the point where light rays converge and form a clear image on the sensor. Longer focal lengths result in a thinner depth of field and a more pronounced background blur. The video script discusses how using a longer focal length can make the background appear blurrier, even if the physical depth of field remains the same.

💡Prime Lens

A prime lens is a lens with a fixed focal length, as opposed to a zoom lens, which has a variable focal length. Prime lenses often have wider maximum apertures, which allows them to create a more pronounced bokeh effect and are valued for this reason in genres like portraiture and wildlife photography. The script gives examples of prime lenses with large maximum apertures, such as a 50mm lens with an f/1.4 aperture.

💡Zoom Lens

A zoom lens is a lens with a variable focal length, allowing the photographer to adjust the magnification of the subject without changing the physical distance from the subject. The video script mentions that zoom lenses often have a smaller maximum aperture compared to prime lenses, which can affect the ability to create a blurrier background.

💡Sensor Size

Sensor size refers to the physical dimensions of the image sensor in a camera. Larger sensors can capture a wider field of view, which can influence the perceived blurriness of the background due to the photographer getting closer to fill the frame. However, the video clarifies that sensor size does not inherently affect the quality of the background blur; it's the proximity to the subject that makes the difference.

💡Focus

Focus in photography is the adjustment or setting of the lens to produce a sharp image of the subject. The video script explains that the depth of field is the area within acceptable focus, and getting blurrier backgrounds involves manipulating factors to have more of the image out of this focused area.

💡Blurrier Backgrounds

A blurrier background is an effect achieved in photography where the background of an image is out of focus, creating a soft, unobtrusive backdrop that draws attention to the main subject. The video provides techniques to achieve this effect, such as using a wider aperture, longer focal length, getting closer to the subject, and increasing the distance between the subject and the background.

💡Squarespace

Squarespace is a website builder and hosting service mentioned in the video script as the sponsor. The video creator uses Squarespace for their own website and highlights its ease of use, customizable templates, and features like drag-and-drop sections for various content types. The service is promoted as an all-in-one solution for creating a professional website.

Highlights

The video discusses techniques to achieve blurry backgrounds in photography, also known as bokeh.

Blurry backgrounds are prized for their ability to make subjects pop by contrasting with smooth, soft-looking backgrounds.

The concept of depth of field is introduced, explaining its impact on background blurriness.

A thinner depth of field results in a blurrier background, which can be achieved by using a wider aperture.

Lenses with larger maximum apertures allow for more light and can create smoother blurry backgrounds.

Prime lenses often have faster apertures than zoom lenses, which can affect background blurriness.

Focal length choice impacts depth of field; longer focal lengths create thinner depths of field and blurrier backgrounds.

Increasing focal length while keeping the subject size constant can create an illusion of a blurrier background due to magnification.

Getting closer to the subject can create a thinner depth of field and a blurrier background.

The minimum focus distance of a lens determines the closest you can get to a subject and still achieve focus.

Positioning the background farther away from the subject can enhance background blurriness.

The video dispels the myth that larger sensors create blurrier backgrounds, attributing the effect to other factors.

The full-frame camera's wider field of view can lead to closer subject framing, which may create a blurrier background.

The video provides practical tips for photographers to achieve desired background blur effects in their work.

Simone, a professional photographer, shares insights from her experience in nature and wildlife photography.

The video is sponsored by Squarespace, which is used by the host for her own website creation.

A bonus tip is offered at the end of the video, addressing common misconceptions about sensor sizes and depth of field.

Transcripts

this video is brought to you by

Squarespace if you need a website or

domain check out squarespace.com for an

all-in-one solution hey everyone and

welcome back to a new video have you

looked at someone else's photography and

thought to yourself how the heck did

they get that nice blurry background why

don't my photos look like that in this

video I'm going to show you the

equipment settings and creative choices

that you can make that will make the

backgrounds to your photos blurry in

camera don't forget to stay for my bonus

tip where I dispel the myth that larger

sensors create blurrier backgrounds and

I'll show you what actually happens my

name is Simone and I'm a professional

nature and wildlife photographer living

in Eastern Canada I make weekly videos

giving you photo tips or taking you

behind the scenes for wildlife and

nature photography subscribe if you want

to see more

shut your mouth

[Music]

so in this video I'm going to show you

four techniques to get blurry

backgrounds sometimes called a bokeh

which more specifically actually

describes the aesthetic quality of the

blur it's actually a Japanese word

pronounced bouquet but in many parts of

the world it's pronounced Boca both are

okay blurry backgrounds are often prized

for their ability to make highlights and

shapes in the background smooth and soft

looking and by contrast make the subject

in front of them pop I use this in my

Wildlife photography to tame distracting

elements in the background like branches

or grasses while allowing my subject to

really stand out even telephone poles

now not all photography genres want or

need this effect but in some like

portraiture or Wildlife it's often

prized so let's start off with what

makes the backgrounds blurry in the

first place so what I tell you later

makes a lot more sense most of what

causes a blurry background comes from

being out of focus the more out of focus

the blurrier if I take a photo of this

lineup of batteries for example notice

how the farther the battery is back from

the one in the focus the blurrier it is

now this is the opposite of what's in

Focus what's within What's called the

depth of field that's the part of the

image within acceptable Focus to get a

blurrier background we need more out of

focusness if you'll pardon me for

inventing a word I use this visual for

understanding depth of field and its

impact on backgrounds light travels from

our subject to the lens Elements which

in turn bend them to come to a focus on

the sensor of your camera the place

where the light rays converge at our

subject and are very close together are

in perfect Focus but there's also a

space before and after where the focus

may not be perfect but is good enough to

be in focus to our eyes this area is

called the depth of field that is the

distance between the closest and

farthest part of the photo that are

acceptably Sharp things that are before

or after this depth of field where the

light beams are too far apart are out of

focus and the farther they are away from

the InFocus area the more out of focus

and blurry they are so to get blurry

backgrounds we usually need what's

called a thinner depth of field that is

a thin plane in Focus so that things in

the background look even blurrier but

I'm also going to show you how to get a

blurrier background with the same depth

of field so there are four ways that we

can achieve blurrier backgrounds in our

photography let's look at number one the

first way to get a thinner depth of

field and hence a blurrier background is

to use a wider aperture on your lens by

wider I mean setting your lens aperture

to be as open as it can be represented

on your camera as the smallest F number

so F4 is larger than F 5.6 F 2.8 is

larger again in the example we used

earlier if we open up the aperture of

the lens we see that the light range

represented by the lines here converge

at a steeper angle this creates a

thinner plane of acceptable focus a

dollar depth of field this also makes

the light rays even farther from focus

in the background rendering the

background softer and less distracting

to your subject so to implement this in

the field you want to be able to control

the aperture on your lens you can either

shoot in manual where you set the

aperture shutter speed and ISO or you

can shoot an aperture priority AV on

most cameras that's where you set the

aperture and the camera picks the

shutter speed needed to balance the

exposure set the aperture on your lens

to a small F number like 2.8 or even

lower if your lens allows now when it

comes to aperture there's also an

equipment Choice variable here how wide

you can open up your aperture and get a

blurry background from it will depend on

the maximum aperture of your lens most

lenses have variable apertures that can

be adjusted but they all have one thing

in common a maximum aperture to which

they can be set this is usually written

right on the lens this is often a prized

attribute of a lens as on top of

gathering more light it can blur the

background even more and in some genres

This is highly valued now while not

always the case prime lenses that is

lenses with a fixed focal length like

this fixed 50 millimeter lens and this

fixed 500 millimeter lens are often

offered with faster apertures than zoom

lenses so this 500 millimeter lens is an

F4 which would make for blurrier

backgrounds than a similar 500

millimeter zoom lens that would often

have the largest aperture at 5.6 or 6.3

this 50 millimeter lens has a maximum

aperture of f 1.4 this allows for very

blurry backgrounds compared to a similar

focal length shot at F4 for example like

in these two photos so in short use

lenses with large maximum apertures for

smooth blurry backgrounds and set them

at their maximum or widest aperture for

the maximum effect

the next choice you can make to make a

blurrier background is your choice of

focal length there are two things that

play here with long focal lengths and

blurry backgrounds one is real and one

is a trick the first which is real is

that longer focal length lenses when

shot at similar distances make for a

thinner depth of field and blurier

backgrounds behind the subject if we

look at our visual here the longer focal

lengths magnification in effect brings

the subject in closer and makes steeper

light rays which in turn makes for

shallower depths of field and blurier

backgrounds I use this effect all the

time in my Wildlife photography where I

use long lenses to blur out the

background and make the subject pop from

the frame I'd like to thank the sponsor

of this video Squarespace I use

Squarespace to make my very own website

and it was easy they have lots of

templates to choose from or you can

customize pages with easy drag and drop

sections for photos videos clickable

buttons texts or links when I recently

added tours to Botswana to my offerings

it was easy to add a new page to to my

website with photos videos and give some

profile on my website with links right

to my home page you can even get people

to subscribe to your newsletter and

offer them a free download in return if

you wish like I've done head to

squarespace.com for a free trial and

when you're ready to launch go to

squarespace.com forward slash Simon to

save 10 off your first purchase of a

website or domain now the second issue

at play here is actually an illusion if

you try different focal length lenses

but move to keep the subject the same

size in the frame the depth of field is

actually the same but yet the background

looks blurrier you may be thinking what

kind of magic is this this is because as

you increase the focal length you're

zooming in on the background as well

this increasing magnification of the

background makes it look bigger and

blurrier because you're seeing a smaller

slice of it here's a sample of what this

looks like using a great website called

dofsimulator.net where you can calculate

the depth of field using different

parameters note that if the size of the

subject remains constant as I use longer

focal lengths the depth of field shown

here doesn't change yet the background

gets blurrier I know that looks weird

but that's the way it works so to

implement this in the field use longer

focal lengths or if you have a zoom lens

use the longest end of the zoom lens to

get the maximum effective blur so on a

70 to 200 millimeter lens the 200

millimeter setting will give you a

blurrier background than 70. the third

way of getting a blurrier background is

to get closer to your subject that's

because as you get closer the light rays

converge more steeply again creating a

thinner depth of field and by corollary

a blurrier background now depending on

your genre this may or may not be an

option in Wildlife like I shoot

sometimes we can get closer using good

feel techniques or camouflage but

sometimes it's not an option if it is an

option for you the good news is it's

easy to implement no setting changes

needed just get closer to your subject

and have a closer Focus point so if you

have the choice between standing at one

spot thought and cropping your image a

bit or getting closer and not cropping

closer will give you a blurrier and

smoother background note that you can't

do this indefinitely for a blurrier

background lenses all have minimum Focus

distances that is the closest you can

get and still get the lens to focus on

wide-angle lenses this may only be

inches or centimeters but on my big 500

millimeter lens the closest I can get to

my subject and still focus is about 10

feet or 3 meters now there's another

trick you can use to get a blurry

background that actually doesn't involve

getting a thinner depth of field and

that is getting the background farther

away behind your subject this is because

there's a direct relationship between

the distance from the subject and

blurriness the areas of focus in an

image don't go from way out of focus to

perfect Focus to way out of focus again

they go from way out of focus gradually

into more focus and smoothly again to

more out of focus the farther behind

your subject you can place the

background the blurrier it will be I use

this technique all the time in Wildlife

photography where I'll move sideways

around the subject to get an angle with

a background can be further and more out

of focus for example while photographing

bee eaters in Botswana by positioning

the boat such that the background was

put way into the distance we could get a

photo that went from this with grasses

right behind the subject to this where

the background is several hundred meters

away the one with the cleaner background

just makes the subject pop from the

frame and is now clearly the star of the

show rather than having to compete with

a busy background so the technique here

is either to move your subject away from

the background or position yourself to

have the background farther away from

your subject by choosing a different

vantage point for example if you're

photographing someone in front of a wall

rather than standing 90 degrees to it

right directly in front of it move to

the side and get some distance between

your subject and the background and I

promised you a bonus tip and that's to

dispel a myth about sensor sizes and

depth of field while photos coming from

cameras with larger sensors seem to have

blurrier backgrounds it's not actually

the sensor size that's affecting the

quality of the background the image

Circle projected into the camera by the

same lens when using a full frame and a

crop sensor camera is exactly the same

the only difference is that the full

frame camera is capturing a larger field

of view than the crop sensor the

background blur in the two images is the

same ah but here's the rub the larger

sensor because it's capturing a wider

field of view often makes you get closer

to the subject to fill the frame as we

learned earlier getting closer will

indeed make the background blurrier so

it's the getting closer that makes the

background blurrier not the sensor size

there's nothing in the physics of a

large sensor that blurs the background

as the quality of the background

transmitted through the lens is the same

regardless of what sensor size captures

it after that if you want to learn more

about sensor sizes the differences it

makes for your photography and the pros

and cons of each I have a whole video on

that subject which you can check out

right here if you found this video

deserving give it a like and YouTube

will show it to even more people helping

others in their photography journey I

hope you can use this information to go

out there and get your own unique and

amazing photos I know you can do it