For this week’s photo challenge, I have two photos for you. For the Rule of Thirds, the subject of your image is off-centre and it can work really well to have your background out of focus, creating a lovely booked effect.
For more photo fun, come visit us at Lucile’s Photo101 Rehab Clinic, a great place to hang out, share some photography and even learn some hints and tips.
x desleyjane
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Oh thanks hun! X
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Oh so beautiful Desley, I’ve often wanted to accomplish what you’ve done in your first picture…you know blurring the background and focusing on one subject? But I do believe my f.stop does not go low enough, it stops at 3.5. I also like how you’ve off-centered in the first picture.
I don’t use zoom lenses very often. I just focus specifically on the part of the image that I want to appear in focus. This won’t usually work in auto mode because it’s designed to get everything in focus. Try aperture mode and dial the widest aperture (your 3.5 or lower). Then put your focus square on the part of your image that you want in-focus. Everything that is behind that focus point should be blurred, the further away the background is the more blurred it should be.
Remind me which camera you have and I can help you with the settings if you want?
Thanks Desley, your student reporting back to you :). I too don’t use the auto mode anymore. So my camera’s lowest aperture setting is 3.5. I read somewhere that it should be lower in order to achieve that blurred background. But alas, I went with what you said and, voila, it worked! Still practicing though. My camera is a canon powershot SX280HS. A little more bells and whistles than the other point and shoot cameras that I’ve owned. Thanks for all your help. 🙂
Excellent!! It worked!! I think 3.5 is about as closed as the aperture can be to get the effect, so well done on capturing it, do we get to see some results soon!??
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What should the ISO be? I forgot to ask you that earlier. It’s funny, I may have made some adjustments when editing the pictures for my next post (which I will post tomorrow). It’s the one in the dining room, I was focusing on the cookie, and the picture in the background which is a huge picture window, appeared blurred. I was estatic!! But it doesn’t quite show on my edit….I’ll do it again and again and with practice I’ll perfect it. Thanks for your tips. I need to angle the camera right too, which I’m having trouble doing.
So the higher your ISO is, the grainier your photo will be. Try to keep it as low as you can. As you increase the number, the image will get brighter, meaning that you can use a faster shutter speed, but you will get graininess. Try to keep it under 1000.
As for the angle, best to keep the camera parallel to the image, that way more of the subject will be in focus.
No worries, any time! This is fun 😄 Looking forward to seeing your post.
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Oh gosh Desley… please don’t judge me when you see the photos. You can’t really tell the blurred one. I tried to post another for you separately, but I couldn’t on this. I use the higher ISO because kitchen shots can sometimes appear too yellow/orange without the natural light, and seeing as it’s winter time, it gets dark around dinner time fairly early. So I do try to use the higher ISO just to make it lighter. Good tip on the angle when taking close ups. Thanks. I’ve just signed up for Photography 101 on WordPress.
Hey, I love your questions! No such thing as stupid ones, it’s all about sharing 😀
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Musings of a Frequent Flying Scientist 
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