This is an older image, likely shot with an 85mm Nikkor on Tri-X. Aperture was probably in the 2.8 range based on what's in focus. These days, I might have used even less depth of field, but in this image - the sharp areas work well in contrast to how blurred the background is. For much of my portrait work, i really enjoy using this effect to seperate the subject from the background. In many cases, outddoor backgrounds can be fairly busy, but using shallow depth of field can transform any area and isolate the main subject matter as needed to really make things stand out. Used in the spring or fall with color, it can really make for nice images.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Action Shots & Depth Of Field
The American LeMans Ferrari photo, taken at Limerock Park in July of 2007, was shot with a Nikon D2X and a Nikkor 300/2.8. For sporting events, and even portraiture – long telephotos can be effectively used to isolate subject matter, especially at wide open apertures. This particular image was shot at F 3.2, 1/3000 of a second.
One thing I really like to do is blur the background in camera, before it ever gets near a computer or Photoshop for that matter. The slight vignetting seen here is a slight edge burn in Photoshop to draw attention to the main visual, the car. This, in addition to using Depth of Field (dof) as a tool, clearly adds to the impact.
One tip for those with an aperture priority setting on their cameras – is to experiment using the widest aperture you have on the lens, and see what happens to your images and subject matter. If your using an older camera, or even one that’s fully manual, simply select the widest aperture and meter accordingly with the shutter speeds. Just be aware that the shutter speeds may end up being quite slow in dim conditions, and always keep an eye on what you feel is a comfortable speed to go with. Of course, experimenting with slower speeds and handholding the camera can make for some very creative photography.
One thing I really like to do is blur the background in camera, before it ever gets near a computer or Photoshop for that matter. The slight vignetting seen here is a slight edge burn in Photoshop to draw attention to the main visual, the car. This, in addition to using Depth of Field (dof) as a tool, clearly adds to the impact.
One tip for those with an aperture priority setting on their cameras – is to experiment using the widest aperture you have on the lens, and see what happens to your images and subject matter. If your using an older camera, or even one that’s fully manual, simply select the widest aperture and meter accordingly with the shutter speeds. Just be aware that the shutter speeds may end up being quite slow in dim conditions, and always keep an eye on what you feel is a comfortable speed to go with. Of course, experimenting with slower speeds and handholding the camera can make for some very creative photography.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Blue Crab(rt)
Another Noctilux shot, fairly close to wide open (F 1.0). I used a slower ISO slide film here to be able to shoot at a larger aperture, and probably a fairly high shutter speed. I don’t record my shooting data, and being that I’m using old school film cameras, no EXIF data like the DSLR’s & digital point and shoots. I can pretty much tell by how the backgrounds go out of focus what apertures I was near.
The background out of focus areas are referred to as “bokeh,” and some lenses create nicer patterns than others. Although I’ve had the Noctilux do some rather strange things to out of focus areas….almost painful to look at! Using a rangefinder, it’s impossible to tell what the end result will be until I get the film back.
The background out of focus areas are referred to as “bokeh,” and some lenses create nicer patterns than others. Although I’ve had the Noctilux do some rather strange things to out of focus areas….almost painful to look at! Using a rangefinder, it’s impossible to tell what the end result will be until I get the film back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
