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how do i make the background blurry in my pictures?
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Nov 4, 2011 15:33:35   #
krosatha
 
I just got a Fuji finepix S2940 camera. How do I make the background of pictures blurry? Any help would be great!!!

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Nov 4, 2011 15:42:56   #
MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy
 
does your camera allow for you to use aperture priority setting or manual settings?

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Nov 4, 2011 15:56:31   #
krosatha
 
Yes on both!!

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Nov 4, 2011 16:07:08   #
MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy
 
This is how to create bokeh (the blurry background). This is of course my beginer intro to bokeh... there are many other ways to do it, but this is easy to explain.

Set your Apeture to a large aperture (smaller number like f/2.8), place your subject a few feet away from the background, place yourself a few feet away from subject. Focus on subject, do not let the camera select your focal point, also use a single focal point (one focal point dot, I usually use the center one).

Take a test shot, see if that worked.

The further your subject is from the background the better your bokeh will be.

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Nov 4, 2011 16:10:26   #
OLDCOOT
 
The smaller the aperture the greater the depth of field-the more will be in focus beyond your subject-. Select an aperture that will allow your subject to be in focus , but not the background.

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Nov 4, 2011 16:14:52   #
RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida
 
If you can't set a manual aperture then use the portrait mode. Most cameras have one and it is designed to limit depth of field.

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Nov 4, 2011 16:28:42   #
English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL
 
Rule of thumb on depth of field (DOF)

DOF is 1/2 -2/3 ie 1/3 sharp in front. 2/3 sharp behind.
From there the longer the lens the smaller the DOF.
A telephoto will have a narrow DOF just like binocular have.
A wide angle will be the reverse, a wide DOF.

To 'automatically' correct the problem, use Aperture priority (lens opening) as MWAC said. The more open the lens is the smaller the DOF becomes but the speed rises accordingly (otherwise you have over exposed your picture).

To avoid the unwanted auto focus (in some cases) focus in full auto on your subject. Once done, w/o touching anything else, turn off the auto focus, set A priority on and you will not have to bother with that until the next set of shots.

Short of that (when you have no choices because the background is too near), use a post processing add-on or plug in to your software that will create the effect.

For more information look it up with a web search engine. (There are plenty of tutorials on post processing on the WEB)

Please note that the diffusion circle we knew and loved in the older silver based camera is gone and replaced by something rather ugly in digital cameras.

Read about BOKEH to learn more: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm There many other articles available on this subject.

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Nov 4, 2011 18:00:02   #
English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL
 
oops 1/3 2/3 sorry for the mistake

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Nov 4, 2011 18:09:03   #
English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL
 
English_Wolf wrote:
couple of corrections


Rule of thumb on depth of field (DOF)

DOF is 1/3 -2/3 ie 1/3 sharp in front. 2/3 sharp behind.
From there the longer the lens the smaller the DOF.
A telephoto will have a narrow DOF just like binocular have.
A wide angle will be the reverse, a wide DOF.

To 'automatically' correct the problem, use Aperture priority (lens opening) as MWAC said. The more open the lens is the smaller the DOF becomes but the speed rises accordingly (otherwise you have over exposed your picture).

To avoid the unwanted auto focus (in some cases) focus in full auto on your subject. Once done, w/o touching anything else, turn off the auto focus, set the A priority on, set it properly F5.6 or 8 should be adequate and you will not have to bother with that until the next set of shots. Note that the speed will adjust automatically

Short of that (when you have no choices because the background is too near), use a post processing add-on or plug in to your software that will create the effect.

For more information look it up with a web search engine. (There are plenty of tutorials on post processing on the WEB)

Please note that the diffusion circle we knew and loved in the older silver based camera is gone and replaced by something rather ugly in digital cameras.

Read about BOKEH to learn more: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm There many other articles available on this subject.

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Nov 4, 2011 18:18:27   #
ahzwizerd2 Loc: Willowbrook, ca
 
Bokeh, Bokeh, Bokeh, Now I'll have nightmares what Bokeh is hiding in my closet

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Nov 4, 2011 18:27:23   #
English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL
 
Hit with your mate pastry roller and you will be done with it.

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Nov 5, 2011 05:26:24   #
Pixel Painter Loc: Ogden, Utah
 
That is one angry, mad, bad-ass wolf avatar. How close were you when you took the photo?

English_Wolf wrote:
Hit with your mate pastry roller and you will be done with it.

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Nov 5, 2011 08:13:54   #
abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
 
"Please note that the diffusion circle we knew and loved in the older silver based camera is gone and replaced by something rather ugly in digital cameras."

The circle of diffusion is an optical property. It only relates to a lens and has absolutely nothing to do with the camera or the medium.

Since the photographer could nothing about it except, perhaps, buy a more expensive lens, one would use its practical embodiment in the form of a depth-of-field table.

And what is the "rather ugly" replacement with digital cameras?

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Nov 5, 2011 09:18:04   #
jbreault Loc: Goldsboro, NC
 
The largest f-stop in your camera is f/3.1 and the only way to get that is to get close and zoom out. Set your focus to center spot and focus on your subject. Take the shot and see how it looks. The problem with point and shoot cameras is the small sensor it is hard to blur the background. One of the best ways to do this with your camera is to back up as far as needed and zoom in tight on your subject. The more you zoom in the more the background will be blurred.

This realy show background blur but I like the shot.
This realy show background blur but I like the sho...

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Nov 5, 2011 09:44:14   #
naturalite Loc: Up state NY
 
Hello, I don't know too much about your camera. But I think it would be the same as with a 35 mm film camera. Blurring background is controlling your depth of field. Use the aperture priority and open it up. The shutter speed will compensate for the light increase. This will shorten up your depth of field to where only your subject matter will be in focus.
Digital cameras are set up to where it tries to make everything in focus all the time. But I believe it will work the same.
Hope that helps.

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