Ever wondered how photographers make their subjects really pop off the screen, with that beautiful, soft, blurry background? 🤔 It's a fantastic technique that adds a professional touch to any photo! The good news? You can achieve this gorgeous effect no matter what camera or lens you have. Let's dive into how! 👇

1. Dial Into Aperture Priority Mode

This is your first step to unlocking that creamy blur! Set your camera to Aperture Priority Mode (usually "Av" on Canon or "A" on Nikon/Sony). This mode lets you control the blur, while your camera handles the rest of the exposure settings. Easy peasy!

Need help in aperture priority mode? Download my FREE guide which gives you a few short lessons on exactly what aperture is, and how to really use this mode on your camera!

2. Choose a Small F-Number (Go Wide!)

This is where the magic really happens! Your "F-number" controls how much of your photo is in focus. For a blurry background, you want the smallest F-number your lens allows (like F 2.8, F 1.8, or even F 4.0 if that's your lens's widest). The smaller the number, the more blur you'll get! 🤯 If you have an F 1.8 lens, start there for a beautifully sharp subject and soft background.

3. Pull Your Subject Away from the Background

This tip is super effective! The further away your subject is from whatever is behind them, the more blurry that background will become. Imagine a person standing right in front of a wall versus standing 10 feet in front of it – that 10-foot distance will give you a much softer blur!

4. Get Closer to Your Subject 🚶‍♀️

Want even more dramatic blur? Try physically moving closer to your subject! The closer you are to what you're focusing on, the shallower your depth of field becomes, which means more background blur. Just be careful not to get too close if your lens has a minimum focus distance! 😉

Bonus Tip: Use a Longer Lens!

If you have different lenses, grab your longest one (like an 85mm, 135mm, or 200mm). Longer focal lengths naturally create a more compressed background and therefore, more dramatic blur! This is why longer lenses are often favorites for portraits – they make your subject stand out beautifully and are very flattering.