How to Get Blurry Backgrounds (Bokeh) in Your Nature Photos

How To Get Creamy Smooth Blurry Backgrounds

Have you ever wondered how professional nature photographers make their subjects pop off the screen against a smooth, soft background? That soft, blurred background is called bokeh.

You do not need a fancy, expensive lens to create this look. You just need to understand three basic settings on your camera.

Here is how you can easily blur the background in your outdoor photos.

1. Choose a Wide Aperture (Low f-number)

Aperture controls how much light enters your camera lens. It also controls your depth of field, which is how much of your photo stays in focus.

• Turn your camera dial to Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av).
• Set your f-number to the lowest number your lens allows (such as f/2.8, f/4, or f/5.6).
• A low f-number opens your lens wide. This creates a shallow focus area that turns messy leaves and branches into a smooth blur.

2. Move Your Subject Away from the Background

The distance between your subject and the background makes a huge difference.

• Bad setup: A bird sitting directly against a thick hedge. The background will stay sharp and distracting.
• Good setup: A bird sitting on a branch with open space or distant trees behind it
• The Rule: Always look for subjects that have plenty of open space behind them. The further away the background is, the blurrier it will look.

3. Get Closer and Use a Longer Zoom

Your physical location and lens length also affect your background blur. This is why macro photos have such blurry backgrounds. The depth of field decreases as you focus closer to the lens.

• Get Closer: Step closer to your subject (or zoom in closer). The closer you are to what you are photographing, the blurrier the background behind it becomes.
• Zoom In: Use a telephoto zoom lens (like a 70-300mm lens). Shooting at longer focal lengths naturally squeezes the background and makes it look smoother.

How Bokeh Actually Works

If you're anything like me then it's helpful to know how things work. When it comes to Bokeh it's all geometry.

Depth of Field Is All Geometry

Take a look at the diagram below. Light collected by the lens, hits the sensor creating out image.

The light coming off of objects we're focused on meets up perfectly at the sensor.

However, light coming from objects that are not close enough to our subject either meet and spreads back out or never meets before running into the sensor.

Circles of Confusion

The top figure shows how light coming from the mountain in the background and flower in the foreground cast large circle of confusion. Circles of confusion are what create our bokeh.

If we use a smaller aperture, the angle at which the light can strike the sensor is reduced. Thereby making these fuzzy circles of confusion smaller.

Pulling It All Together

If you want creamy out-of-focus backgrounds then practice using these tips. Use a large aperture, get closer to your subject, and/or pull your subject away from the background. If you run into any issues consider taking a private lesson or group class where I can help you better understand how focus and bokeh.