Tips for Getting Your Background Blurred

On this short video photographer Tony Northrup and his wife Chelsea take a look at some basic tips for helping you blur your background when you are taking pictures.

Who doesn’t want a nice blurry background that helps bring your subject to focus better? How can you achieve that? well there are a few simple steps that you can take:

  1. Move your subject away from the background (the more distance he/she has from the background – the better).
  2. Get your subject closer to the camera – the closer – the better (but keep the composition “logical”).
  3. When all other things being equal – larger sensors will give you better blur.
  4. Shoot at the widest open aperture (f/2.8 is better than f/5.6 and f/1.4 is even better – if you don’t have one get an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 lens and blur away).
  5. The longer the focal length the better – it is hard to get blurred background with a wide lens (unless your subject is very close) – telephoto lenses are better at getting blurred photos.

Not pleased with your results? there are ways to add Bokeh in Photoshop – check Howard Pinsky’s video on “How to Create Bokeh in Photoshop“.

You can check out many more helpful photography tips on our Photography tips section here on LensVid. If you liked Tony and Chelsea Northrup you can check out more of their videos here on LensVid.
Iddo Genuth
Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.

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