The day was dull and cloudy. I really thought to myself why the heck did I commit to this project - what a dingas! What I have discovered is photography is such a wonderful way to open creative parts of your mind. It sharpens your observation skills. Sometimes you see nothing and other times the world opens up, often at the times you least expect it. It is wonderful to observe the simple beauty in your local area. Today on our walk with Molly, I had not seen anything until out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of this particular leaf. I scrambled down the bank and plucked it from the ground. Suddenly I felt creative!
I love the vibrant autumn colour and it is so relevant given the present seasonal change relative to humanity now find a new norm.
Andy Thompson
Panasonic, G9, f/7.1, 1/1250sec, 56mm = 112mm, ISO-1600
This image I had Jo hold up against the background clouds. The key here was to have enough depth of field to keep the leaf in focus. A bonus is that the leaf is on the same plane as the camera. As there was a slight breeze it was hard to hold still, and so took several times to work the image. Camera settings are balanced with the light and by keeping my shutter speed quick I produced a sharp image.
Panasonic, G9, f/7.1, 1/1250sec, 56mm = 112mm, ISO-1600
The above image I wanted to play with a different background. Once again Jo held the leaf, as I found a contrasting darker background with slight elements of green. My disappointment is the whole leaf is not sharp.
Andy`s Photography Tip: ‘Depth of Field’
If you want your subject to be sharp with a lovely blurred background consider a shallow depth of field (DOF). A DOF of f/4 or larger will be your starting point - Note: the lower the f stop number the bigger the iris opening in the lens. You have to balance this to ensure how much of your subject you want in focus. For example f/2.8, any subject that is behind or in front of your focus point may be blurred.
Also, another tip is to distance your shooting position from the image as this will decrease your angle of view and help with the background to be out of focus.
Please put a comment or emoji below. If you have any questions pop them in the comments box below or send me a video with your questions - keep taking photos and get out there!
Andy Thompson