 BetterPhoto Member |
Aperture Settings Hi, I am planning to photograph my 6.5 month old daughter. Ideally I'd like to use natural lighting and a wide aperture to blur the background. I'm not sure what the ideal f-stop would be for this type of setting and desired outcome. I'm using very high speed film (1600). Any suggestions? Julie
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Alan N. Marcus |
Julie wants the background blured. First find a coal mine to work in because 1600 speed film is very very fast. Otherwise, in daylight conditions outdoors your aperture, with 1600 film will tiny, around f/22 or f/16. Tiny means the actual working aperture of the lens is a small in size but the f/number is big. Problem is, the tiny aperture is necessary to prevent over exposure yield however it produces maximum depth-of-field. Now, ditch the 1600 stuff. Film is not that expensive. Get some 200 speed and adjust your camera for f/5.6. This will be a reasonable large aperture that will diminish depth-of-field. Also, a slow film affords larger blow-ups so if you hit the jackpot, you can easily have the lab make an over-mantle, maybe 30x40 inches so you can show-off your child and your art. Depth-of-field is that zone, fore and aft of the point of focus that remains acceptably in sharp focus. The zone is not equal on both sides. Instead, depth-of-filed extents further out rather than close. So, instead of focusing on the child’s eyes, focus on a point abuts 1 foot closer to the camera. With a little extermination, you can cause the background to blur. The secret is large apertures and focus forward a little. If the subject can corporate a little, have them extend their hand forward and use this as the target for focusing. Be daring, focusing in front of the subject is not a natural act. This will work with 1600 speed, just takes more nerve becasue now you will focusing about 2 feet in front of the subject. Best of luck, Alan Marcus
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