Depth of Field Question

[skipjack]

I can't really grasp the depth of field properly as I want my picture's background to be blurred and the subject to be in focus. However, I've can't seem to get that shallow depth of field.
Hope you guys have some suggestions.
Thanks in advance!

[Major_Small]

There are two things that affect DoF in a big way - your aperture, and distances.

To put it simply, the more open your aperture, the more shallow the DoF. That's one of the reasons landscape photographers use a small aperture - they want their DoF to be as wide as possible so they can capture a large range of scenery in focus.

As for distances, I'll once again simplify (perhaps oversimplification in this case). Put your subject close to your lens, and keep the background far away. If you're not getting the desired result, pull your subject further away from the background.

Take a look at this blog post, as well as the rest of the beginner's tips. Also, follow along with the 101 posts. The next post is slated to be on aperture, which is bound to have some material on Depth of Field.

[skipjack]

Thanks Major_Small for your advice and tips!

[Major_Small]

Not a problem - have fun playing

[inkista]

Two more notes to add--a larger aperture is represented with a smaller f-number. Just as 1/8 is smaller than 1/2, f/8 is a smaller aperture (and creates a larger depth of field) than f/2.

Secondly, if you're stuck with the 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, you're limited on maximum aperture: to f/3.5 @18mm (zoomed all the way out), and f/5.6 @55mm (zoomed all the way in). If you can afford a 50mm f/1.8 lens, that's usually the cheapest way to acquire a "fast" lens--one with a max. aperture of f/2.8 or wider.

[skipjack]

Thanks Inkista and major_small!