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How to Create a Blurry Background in a Photograph

Digital technology has had a profound impact on the world of photography. There are many effects that can be added to pictures using advanced photo editing programs like Adobe Photoshop that would not have been possible in the days of film. While you can create a blurry background in post-production editing, the simplest and the best results come from doing it at the time the picture was taken. By creating a shallow depth of field, your picture will have soft, slightly out of focus background.

Instructions

- 1
  Turn your camera on and set the exposure mode to "Aperture Priority." In this mode the photographer controls the aperture, which is the size of the lens opening, and the camera selects a corresponding shutter speed to provide the best possible exposure.
- 2
  Turn the input dial on your camera and set the aperture to the largest opening available. The largest opening is represented by the lowest number. The larger the opening and less depth of field the lens will have. Depth of field is a photography term that refers to the distance from front to back of your picture that will appear in focus. Using a larger aperture you will have a very shallow depth of field. Smaller apertures provide a greater depth of field.
- 3
  Position your subject and focus on it. Confirm the camera has focused, using this technique requires the photographer to be certain the subject is in focus. Press the shutter release all the way down to take the picture. Review the image in the camera's LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen and you will see the subject is in focus and is sharp, and the background is out of focus creating a soft, blurry background.

Photography