# How do you blur foreground only?



## nikonusersince2007

I know you can blur background only by using an open aperature like F 2.4.
But how do you blur foreground only and have the background in focus?

Thanks


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## 480sparky

Learn about Depth of Field (DoF), and how different lenses, focal lengths, sensor sizes, etc. affect it.

The biggest secret is to focus manually.


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## Rephargotohp

Shallow DOF, focus on the Background instead of your Foreground subject


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## Pictorbski

When you're shooting with a shallow depth of field (ie f2.8 - f1.2) you will create blur anywhere you are not immediately focused on. So if you want to blur the foreground, focus on something in the back ground and make sure you have your foreground subjects close to the lens, the closer they are, the more blurred they'll be.


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## cgipson1

Figure out what DOF you need ....   Online Depth of Field Calculator


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## Garbz

Older lenses used to have depth of field indicators on them. That really helped. Either use a calculator online, download an app that does the calculation for your smartphone, or print out a depth of field table for your lens and camera: Depth of Field Table


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## Robin Usagani

I would think the other way.  Use more depth of field.  Focus just a little bit behind the subject (make sure subject is still in focus).



Rephargotohp said:


> Shallow DOF, focus on the Background instead of your Foreground subject


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## Edsport

Blurring the foreground is the same as blurring the background. Instead of focusing on the background you focus on the foreground...


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## EchoingWhisper

Use a larger aperture and focus it to hyperfocal distance. Place your subject around the place you're focusing and it's best to use a longer focal length because more depth of field is distributed in front of the focused area.


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## nikonusersince2007

I still don't quite understand what "Focal Length" is.
Is "focal length" the distance from the camera to the subject I am focusing on?  
Or 
is it the distance from the subject I am focusing on to the backdrop/background)? 





EchoingWhisper said:


> Use a larger aperture and focus it to hyperfocal distance. Place your subject around the place you're focusing and it's best to use a longer focal length because more depth of field is distributed in front of the focused area.


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## Big Mike

Focal length - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Focal length is essentially the 'zoom setting' on your lens.


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## Big Mike




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## Robin Usagani

Love that diagram.


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## nikonusersince2007

What do the green square bars mean in front and behind each of the people in the charts above?





Big Mike said:


>


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## Robin Usagani

The green means everything in that region is in focus.


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## KmH

Not really. The only point in the green area that is truely in focus is the subject at the focal point. From there, both in front of and behind that focal point focus sharpness starts dropping off.

Where there is more green, the focus sharpness doesn't drop off as fast.

Another issue with the diagram is that the distribution of the DoF is more often close to 50/50 than the 25% in front, 75% behind the point of focus the diagram indicates


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## nikonusersince2007

IS this technique for blurring the foreground or for blurring the background?
Is Focal length the distance from my camera to my subject I am focusing on?





EchoingWhisper said:


> Use a larger aperture and focus it to hyperfocal distance. Place your subject around the place you're focusing and it's best to use a longer focal length because more depth of field is distributed in front of the focused area.


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## KmH

Both.

No.

I highly recommend you spend some quality time at - Digital Photography Tutorials 
Understanding Depth of Field in Photography


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## Rephargotohp

Schwettylens said:


> I would think the other way. Use more depth of field. Focus just a little bit behind the subject (make sure subject is still in focus).
> 
> 
> 
> Rephargotohp said:
> 
> 
> 
> Shallow DOF, focus on the Background instead of your Foreground subject
Click to expand...


Depends what you want to do ( or she wants to do). She said she wanted the background in focus and the foreground out, so the background now becomes the subject and the point of focus.

I'm not sure what the actual things she wants to do but I suspect something more along the lines of a groom standing back a good distance from a bride, he is in the background, Focusing on Him, would put the bride out of focus which may be the desired effect. How much she (The3 bride) is Out Of Focus would depend on the selected aperture/DOF


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## Shoal

Big Mike that is a great image. Thanks for sharing


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## Joel_W

Here's an example of a blurred foreground, in focus subject, and a blurred background.  




DSCN2881 by jaw101, on Flickr


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## nikonusersince2007

I printed the DOF table via your link. A few questions:
What does the "near" and "far" mean...does my subject have to be within that range to be in focus?
What is "hyperfocal distance?  what does this mean?  Why is this important?





Garbz said:


> Older lenses used to have depth of field indicators on them. That really helped. Either use a calculator online, download an app that does the calculation for your smartphone, or print out a depth of field table for your lens and camera: Depth of Field Table


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## 480sparky

nikonusersince2007 said:


> I printed the DOF table via your link. A few questions:
> What does the "near"



Between you and the focus point.



nikonusersince2007 said:


> and "far" mean...



Further from you than the focus point.



nikonusersince2007 said:


> does my subject have to be within that range to be in focus?



If you want the subject to be in focus, yes.



nikonusersince2007 said:


> What is "hyperfocal distance?  what does this mean?



Hyperfocal distance means the lens is set so everything between the closest subject and infinity is in focus.



nikonusersince2007 said:


> Why is this important?



Fixed-focus (non-focusable) lenses use this method by default.  Experienced photographers use it to prevent OOF images.


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## RyanSands

Here is an example of foreground blur. My sister got engaged last year and I took this photo of her and her fiance Derek. I used my Canon 70-200 f2.8, placed them against the stone wall around 15-20 feet away from me, I got close to the wall...focused on them and put the flowers/stone wall in the foreground of my shot. F-stop was around 2.8 I think. But really its a simple concept once you get the hang of it. That is a neat little trick that a lot of photographers don't seem to utilize too often...although the good ones do a lot...but like I said once you get the hang of it...not too hard. You have to train your eye to see things in the foreground that you could use to enhance your shot..and not just look at what is behind the couple. Quite fun and actually very impressive. Most clients who I shoot with have no clue you can even put objects in front of the subject like that and always get a kick out of it when I show them the final image. haha


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## NikonuserD3200

Pictorbski: I just wanted to let you know how helpful your answer was. Thank you so very much.


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