The object of this challenge is to find interesting subjects and simplify your image by using Depth of Field techniques. With Christmas and New Years coming up shortly this is good practice for portraits or other subjects against Christmas lights Bokeh. This can be done “In-Camera” or afterwards with post processing. Good background selection can make or break an image. Try placing objects against a carefully selected background.
Here is a DOF simulation from the demo example I did yesterday. The Christmas bokeh was AI generated
Great final effort Henri. No wonder Ron wanted a copy.
Only one complaint … Henri didn’t remove my neck wrinkles.😕
Here is the same image with Lightroom’s AI Skin Smoothing
a small rosehip on the pathway ISO 2000 f6.7300mm 1/2000
a few dry leaves ISO 2000 f6.7 300mm 1/1000
The Nutcracker was placed on a large rock with a Amur leafless tree in the background. The limited bokeh is from the little bit of daylight coming through the tree.
A Sony A6000 with a converter to attach a Takamar ( Pentax ) 100 macro lens was used.
F 4, ISO 200, 1/80 s. The DoF calculator showed at f4 the DoF is sharp from 1.98 to 2.02 m. The Luminar 4 IA looks was set at 80% Super Sharp.
Good example Bill.
Getting the Christmas decorations out of storage. Staged these lovely little angles against a Christmas tree in my basement studio. Taken with a 35 mm macro lens at f/1.8. Distance to subject about 40 cm. Subject to tree distance about 1 m.
Cute ‘yellow bird’…(I am not a birder). Taken at the zoo.
f/6.3, 1/500, iso4000
In this case, I simplified the image by blurring the foreground instead of the background. This blue-headed agama was climbing a rock at my eye level. Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.
ISO 800, 400 mm, f/11, 1/1000 sec
I love it! Powerful image! You could have cropped it to give the lizard more prominence.
Giraffe in Kruger Park, South Africa.
ISO 800, 339 mm f/9.1, 640 sec
Simple (but an expensive subject). Captured Dec 6th in the spectacular wine room of The Post Hotel in Lake Louise. The largest wine room in Western Canada with some 30,000 bottles (and a 50 page wine menu). Fabulous hotel for a getaway.
Fujifilm XT-5 handheld ISO 2500/ F2.8/ SS@1/80/ Added a vignette to direct the viewers to the centre (most in focus) part of the frame.
Stubborn crabapples hanging on during last week’s snowfall. Sony RX-10, ISO 100, f/4, -3ev, 1/400 sec, 600mm eq. Sharpened in Topaz, lightly edited in Apple Photos.
Christmas Ornaments on a table. Canon R8 – ISO 1000, 1/30 sec @ F/4.0, 200 mm. Some sharpening and clarity adjustments in LR. Also adjusted exposure in LR.
Ash tree leaves that are still on the tree. Cropped and adjusted levels using Microsoft Photo Gallery.
Sony RX10, Aperture Priority, f/4.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 250, 600 mm, spot metering.
Well Henry, you inspired me to try your set up as I was struggling with my tree decoration shots. This is with similar distance you had listed from the snowman to the tree using my macro lens. Av setting 5.6, speed 1/13 and Auto ISO 1250. I only cropped and lighten slightly. Now to decide – no sparkle belly or shaken….
Weird, second attempt to upload image.
Here is the sparkly snowman for comparison…
I staged this Santa and Christmas ornaments in front of my Christmas tree. Lots of back light from the window causing some interesting shadows on the table.
I took the shot with the camera on my Pixel 8 in portrait mode.
f/1.7, 1/100 sec, ISO 4199 (auto ISO setting), 24 mm
Lake Enid in the Columbia Valley, taken with iPhone camera. ISO 25, f/2.2, 1/306.
Also at Lake Enid in the Columbia Valley, taken with iPhone camera. ISO 25, f/2.2, 1/20. Even with the large aperture, the background was still quite sharp, so I blurred it with GIMP.
Also converted to black and white.
2 sticky snowflakes were taken with aperture priority
5.4 iso 100 1/60
number 2
Nikon D7000 F/2.8 200mm
Nikon D7000 F/22 200mm