Techie Talk – Getting the background "soft and fuzzy"

Grey Gardens Opening Night Dinner at PCS

I recently was asked the question “How do you get the background out of focus and make it soft and fuzzy looking? Is it done in Photoshop?” The simple answer is “yes” however I’d much rather get this “effect” when taking the photograph than spending time at my computer.

So how is it done using your camera? The answer is setting the aperture of your lens as wide open as you can. The image above was taken with a 50mm lens at f/1.4. The other controls to keep in mind for setting your exposure will be shutter speed and your ISO setting. If you are in a low light environment and photographing stills like the example above, then shooting with your aperture wide open won’t be too difficult. If you have bright light and shooting a moving subject, say your little toddler running around, this will require some quick thinking. Bright light conditions with a wide open aperture will flood the camera with lots of light. To control the amount of light coming in use a faster shutter speed. This will be good for shooting your moving target. However if your camera’s shutter speed doesn’t go high enough to get a good exposure, try lowering your ISO setting (e.g. shooting at 800 in bright light might not work).

Lenses with aperture capabilities of opening around f/2.8 or wider (e.g. f/1.2) are referred to as “fast” lenses. Be prepared to pay a bit more for these fast lenses. But if you are serious about your photography, these lenses will be good investments. Consumer type lenses usually have lesser aperture range and the apertures of some zoom telephoto lenses do not stay fixed – the aperture changes with the focal length.

Have fun experimenting!