need help!! how to take a certain photo with my new dslr???

[jobilly]

i am new to my dslr, i have a canon 1000d with basic lense and no additional lenses. How do i take pics of people where the background is out of focus/blurry but the subject/person/baby is in focus??
does that make sense?
i want to take some baby photos of my newbie and of my kids together.
i am not very technical, so please be gentle with me..

thank you

[wave]

To get what you require requires a narrow depth of field ie small f number. it also has a relation ship with the distance to the subject. I would try taking picture with a small number and see the results of what you get

[canismajor]

i am new to my dslr, i have a canon 1000d with basic lense and no additional lenses. How do i take pics of people where the background is out of focus/blurry but the subject/person/baby is in focus??
does that make sense?
i want to take some baby photos of my newbie and of my kids together.
i am not very technical, so please be gentle with me..

thank you

In other words, select an aperture of say f11, or f16 to ensure that everything in your viewfinder is in focus. If this ends up with you finding that you now have a shutter speed which is too low, say 1/60, or 1/30 of a second, then increase the ISO speed to say 400, or even higher, but it all depends on how much light there is on the subject. I think most would agree that an ideal shutter speed for a hand-held photo is about 1/125 of a second. Take your time and enjoy experimenting with different speeds and aperture settings, after all, if you don't like it on playback just delete and do it again. That's the beauty of digital. Ask anytime, all the best,Mike.

[graham_c]

Hi
If you want a blurred background, and your kids and baby sharp you need to use a wide aperture which means a low f number on a kit lens about F4 then experiment with the distance between the kids and the background... good luck graham

[jobilly]

thank you for the advise guys, prob is i am still at point and shoot stage... is there an easier way? will a lense do it for me?

[canismajor]

thank you for the advise guys, prob is i am still at point and shoot stage... is there an easier way? will a lense do it for me?

A lens will not do it for you as human input is required with a DSLR. Sure you can place the camera in AUTO mode or PROGRAM, and it will take a picture choosing the settings which are appropriate for the conditions.
However, when personal requirements are needed then you must 'tell' the camera what you need and make your own selection of aperture and shutter speeds. Some photographers choose to mostly shoot in MANUAL mode and do this all the time. As long as you keep checking that the exposure will be ok then it's up to you what settings you choose. Keep trying, we've all been there. All the best.

[wave]

Hi i suggest that you put the camera in av mode this is where you set the aperture. Now set a low number f3.5 is your lowest with a kit 18-55 lens. Now do you want to take these pics in doors if so when then enter the realms of flash or no flash. I would try out doors first to eliminate the need for flash.

[Dilinja]

Hi i suggest that you put the camera in av mode this is where you set the aperture. Now set a low number f3.5 is your lowest with a kit 18-55 lens. Now do you want to take these pics in doors if so when then enter the realms of flash or no flash. I would try out doors first to eliminate the need for flash.

I agree wholeheartedly with this advice. I played around with my new camera at the weekend and all I wanted was some shots with my kids in focus and the background blurred. Putting the camera in AV mode and then selecting the widest aperture possible (/f 1.4 with my lens) allowed me to get some really nice shots with very liittle input from me other than pointing and shooting!

There was the odd occasion where I had to manually choose the point of focus for the camera, but for the most part the auto focus selected the subject I wanted it to and then the camera did the rest. I'll post some examples in my gallery this weekend as I'm keen to get some feedback

[ThatBloke]

Hi i suggest that you put the camera in av mode this is where you set the aperture. Now set a low number f3.5 is your lowest with a kit 18-55 lens. Now do you want to take these pics in doors if so when then enter the realms of flash or no flash. I would try out doors first to eliminate the need for flash.

Im a bit confused on this advise as i too own the same camera

Im looking at the manual and it suggest f16. Ive tried both the settings and Im not getting a blurred background

[canoman]

A lens will not do it for you as human input is required with a DSLR. Sure you can place the camera in AUTO mode or PROGRAM, and it will take a picture choosing the settings which are appropriate for the conditions.
However, when personal requirements are needed then you must 'tell' the camera what you need and make your own selection of aperture and shutter speeds. Some photographers choose to mostly shoot in MANUAL mode and do this all the time. As long as you keep checking that the exposure will be ok then it's up to you what settings you choose. Keep trying, we've all been there. All the best.

Baby shots usually are preferred as a sharp baby but a so called bokeh for the background. You need a knowledge of DOF which is decided by your lens focal length. There are many guides for this.