Guest Author: David Akoubian - Tamron
Tip #1: Using a long lens to blur and isolate.
When I am working in areas where a background could be a distraction, if it is in focus, I will often use a long lens to blur and isolate the subject. I try to use a focal length of 300-500mm and get as close as possible while not stressing wildlife. This will result in allowing the viewer to see what is behind the subject while not making it a distraction. This blurring will help tell a story of the subject in its environment. I like to select f8 to give just the right amount of detail when using a long lens.
Tamron 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD 78mm, F11, 6.0 sec., ISO 50
Tip #2: Slowing down the shutter speed to blur the background.
One of my favorite techniques when photographing colorful leaves on a rock or log is to find light striking the opposite side of the river. I then slow down my shutter speed, preferably around 1 second. This creates a smooth palette of color that can either contrast or compliment the leaves. The slowing down of the shutter speed will also allow you to use an aperture of f16 while still blurring the background, which gives the impression of a shallow depth of field.
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD 495mm, F8, 1/125 sec., ISO 500
Tip #3: Adjusting the angle you are photographing to blur the background.
When isolating a subject to take advantage of a colorful fall background check all the angles with your subject. I will move left and right, up and down, with the camera off the tripod until I find the right angle to give me a smooth blurred background. When photographing things like dragonflies, they tend to return to the same perch over and over. Once I have set up the image, I simply wait for the subject to return to the perch, then release the shutter.
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD 500mm, F8, 1/250 sec., ISO 200
Tip #4: Use clutter to your advantage.
When I am photographing things like migrating Monarch butterflies, I often find the subjects a few feet into a field of flowers. First, I like to arrive early as the butterflies are still not moving fast. Then I will approach very slowly and try to get the front of the camera parallel to my subject. This allows me to capture the image at a lower depth of field, making the subject nice and sharp while blurring the area in front of and behind a nice complimentary blurred palette of color. This also creates a more pleasing environmental image.
Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 75mm, F2.8, 1/20 sec., ISO 100
Tip #5: Get your lens close.
When I am using a wide-angle lens, or standard zoom lens, I will get my lens as close as possible to the subject. This allows me to then do a few test images to see how much blur is achievable at different f-stops. I want to make sure I have enough depth to keep the subject very sharp, but don’t want too much information in the background. I like using fall colors to simply compliment my subject. Keeping the background blurred isolates the focus on the subject. Too much depth of field can give the viewer visual overload.
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD 500mm, F8, 1/250 sec., ISO 1600
Featured in this blog:
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2
Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD
Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD
