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I’ve been meaning to do little photography “lessons” on the blog under the heading of “selective focus” but -to be honest- although I was a teacher for years, teaching photography does not seem to be my strong suit.  I think part of the reason is because I still feel like I am learning something all the time and -therefore- am not really equipped to be dishing advice.  My husband tells me this is simply my self-doubt shining through, so I decided to take a leap and give it a try.   Plus, it might be fun to put a few tidbits here and there on the blog.  If you have anything you would like me to cover, please leave a comment or email me at caseyrosephotography@yahoo.com!

So as I was thinking about what I could possibly write about in this bi-monthly series, I thought about the name “selective focus” and figured that was as good of a place to start as any…  So what is selective focus?  It’s when you attempt to make one area of the photograph in focus while the other parts of the portrait remain out of focus.  It’s very useful in macro photography, but you can also use it in portrait photography if you are aiming for a soft focus detail or some artistic rendering of focus.  In the examples above, I wanted only the pear or the cotton to be in focus.  In the bottom example, I wanted the brother’s expression of  admiration to be in the portrait but really wanted to focus on WHY he was admiring his sister… her lovely outgoing personality.

The trick is to turn your camera into manual mode and to have some basic understanding of the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture and shutter speed).  If you do not understand these, I would start with understanding aperture by turning your camera to aperture priority.  The camera will then take care of ISO and shutter speed for you (kind of…. remember that mastering all three will give you the greatest creative freedom in the end).

On Aperture Priority, put your aperture at the widest f-stop (lowest number) that your camera will allow  (1.4, 1.8, or 2.0)  Focus your camera only on the spot that you would like  in focus (like the pear).  Take a few rounds.  Then adjust the aperture a bit (3.0, 5.6, etc) and see what happens to the background that is not in the focal range.  Notice how it becomes more and more in focus with the object you are attempting to isolate.  This is your first glimpse into depth of field.

It’s important to note the depth of field.  Of course this is a lesson in itself, but notice how the twig hanging above Emeili’s head is in focus with the pear?  They are essentially in the same depth of field and -thus- will have the same focus in the portrait.  Notice how Emeili will be a wee bit more in focus than the background because she is closest to the focal point of the pear while the background will be completely out of focus because of the wide aperture setting.  If I had set my Aperture at the widest setting and Em was standing closer to the pear, Emeili’s face would not be in view at all…so I had to close the f-stop a bit (increase number) so that I still saw detail in her face, while still obscuring the background completely.  Also-be careful if your subjects face is tilted at all because you’ll have to adjust the Aperture accordingly.

When I first started playing around with the camera, aperture felt like a safe place to experiment.  Then once you understand the concept around it – as well as a general understanding of depth of field – you can move on to seeing how ISO and shutter speed affect aperture and focus.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to second shoot for a wedding in Kentucky.  It was such a fun experience… a wild learning experience from start to finish.  I loved it.  Before the ceremony we got the opportunity to meet the whole bridal party at a salon.  It was such a special time for everyone… those quiet moments before the rush of the ceremony and the wedding.  It was an honor to be a part of this day.  Thanks for including me!!