One Flower
Feb 18, 2019 16:57:58 #
bohleber
Loc: southern Indiana
How do you isolate just one flower in a group and have all the others out of focus?
Don
Don
Feb 18, 2019 17:01:32 #
bohleber wrote:
Don, Two approaches I use. I carry in my camera bag a piece of black cloth to isolateone flower. The other approach is focusing on the flower you want and open the lens up as wide as possible to knock the others out of focus.How do you isolate just one flower in a group and have all the others out of focus?
Don
Don
Feb 18, 2019 17:18:41 #
Feb 18, 2019 17:20:17 #
bohleber
Loc: southern Indiana
I want to keep the other flowers in the group, but just focus on one. I guess that would be your second approach? Makes sense.
Feb 18, 2019 17:22:08 #
Feb 18, 2019 17:23:03 #
bohleber wrote:
How do you isolate just one flower in a group and have all the others out of focus?
Don
Don
This is a flower from my nieghbor's garden. I shot it with the lens f-stop opened to f-3.5 I think. If you were to stop down the lens to say 5.6 or 8, the background would be more in focus. I hope this helps.
Ken
Feb 18, 2019 17:26:54 #
Feb 18, 2019 19:37:56 #
bohleber wrote:
How do you isolate just one flower in a group and have all the others out of focus?
Don
Don
By doing exactly that - but in post processing. Shoot the main target sharp and crisp. There will likely be others that are at the same distance but would not be your intent to keep them sharp. In post processing, you would create a selection of the intended subject, then copy/paste it into a new layer that you place on top of the base layer. Then you could apply a gaussian or lens blur effect to the "background" layer to focus your emphasis on the main subject. I do this often, also applying a color and contrast reduction, and a darkening - all subtle so it doesn't appear forced. Once you isolate your target with a selection/layer mask the possibilities are endless.
Also, depending on the situation, you could apply a radial gradient that changes the blur across the gradient and place the focal point in the center of the gradient where there is sharpest focus/detail.
Feb 18, 2019 19:45:44 #
The only problem with a large aperture is that you will not get all the elements of the flower in focus. I think the best way to do it would be in postprocessing.
One approach would be to take several shots at different focal points and combine them with focus stacking. That can be tailored to make the subject flower in focus at all points, but would leave the other flowers out of focus. This could be done when the background flowers are not far from the plane of focus.
Another approach would be to get everything in focus, but in postprocessing you could select the background flowers and blur them.
One approach would be to take several shots at different focal points and combine them with focus stacking. That can be tailored to make the subject flower in focus at all points, but would leave the other flowers out of focus. This could be done when the background flowers are not far from the plane of focus.
Another approach would be to get everything in focus, but in postprocessing you could select the background flowers and blur them.
Feb 19, 2019 07:05:12 #
bohleber wrote:
I want to keep the other flowers in the group, but just focus on one. I guess that would be your second approach? Makes sense.
There's the old trick of using a clear filter with some Vaseline smeared around the outside of the subject area.
https://digital-photography-school.com/create-soft-focus-look-vaseline/
https://blog.freepeople.com/2014/08/3-softfocus-lens-effects/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vaseline-camera-trick-effect_n_7062900
Feb 19, 2019 08:13:39 #
...the type of camera lens you choose can also help...some lenses produce better bokeh than others...
Feb 19, 2019 10:06:57 #
NCMtnMan
Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC
If you have a telephoto try using it. I find that they work very well for the effect you are wanting. They can also have some serious bokeh.
Feb 19, 2019 10:13:34 #
bohleber wrote:
How do you isolate just one flower in a group and have all the others out of focus?
Don
Don
This is a function of using a shallow DOF (Depth of Field) and is achieved by setting your aperture to a more open setting like f/1.8 or f/2.8. It's also easier if you use a focal length of at least 100mm or more but not impossible with a shorter lens if you get close to the subject. To do this, you need to learn to use your camera in either aperture priority or manual exposure settings.
Feb 19, 2019 16:52:21 #
bohleber wrote:
How do you isolate just one flower in a group and have all the others out of focus?
Don
Don
What works for me is a shallow depth of field. I shot this at f/2.8.
Feb 19, 2019 21:32:28 #
As mentioned you can use depth of field (DOF) to isolate the chosen flower and blur those in front and behind. There are two aspects to DOF: The first is aperture, larger (Lower f-number) = less DOF; The 2nd is distance to subject, closer = less DOF.
Both are important and with flowers you can get close and achieve very shallow DOF, sometimes too much. Use the DOF preview button when composing to see what you are going to get in the final product.
Both are important and with flowers you can get close and achieve very shallow DOF, sometimes too much. Use the DOF preview button when composing to see what you are going to get in the final product.
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