How to make your subjects stand out from the background
Topic: Photography Tutorials
Time Investment: 5 Minutes
Suggested Product: All-in-One Contract Bundles
How do you make your subjects stand out so much? - This is a question that I get A LOT in emails (which I DO enjoy by the way!!). One of my struggles starting out was figuring out how to achieve this "pop" that I saw in other photographer's work. Pssssttt...the secret? Depth of field!!!! Some of you oldies are rolling your eyes, but for newer photographers this makes a world of difference!
Separating your subject from your background through use of depth of field (aperture or f/stop) & distance between camera and subject will help to make your subjects stand out.
Here are some examples!
Achieving depth of field really is pretty simple :) Remember - the lower the f/stop number, the more blur you're going to have in your photograph! Go out and practice with different f/stop numbers on the same subject. I promise, you'll see a difference!
In the photograph above, I had a larger f/stop to capture more of the photograph, the subjects seem to blend in more to the background.
Above Left: Using low f/stop (around 2.2) I was able to help the subjects be separate from the background.
Above Right: Don't forget to use your surroundings! By shooting past the branch it created some depth.
In the above photo, note the car to the left; the low f/stop helped to blur it out and put the focus on the subject.
Great distance between subject above and the backdrop made her seem significant in a huge field. Without the f/stop she would've looked tiny.
It's not a science, but it does take practice. Just remember these tips to achieving the depth of field to make your subjects pop!
- Low f/stop
- Greater distance between subject and backdrop
- Shoot through something.
- Be creative!
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