Many beginner photographers do not provide extra attention to the background while capturing wildlife animals. Sometimes the background can ruin the photo. The statement is 100% relevant if you take bird photos.
Sometimes you will get a close and clear view of birds and can capture a great photo with your best birding camera. But, sometimes the problem creates by dull backgrounds, or sometimes backgrounds distract from getting a perfect image. So, here comes the importance of blurring the background.
The easiest way to blur the background in bird photography is by shooting at the widest possible aperture, zooming the subject as much as possible, and getting close to the subject.
The blurred background boosts the look of the bird’s image tremendously. So, in the article, you will know how you can blur the background in bird photography and how you can blur the background of a taken photo.
How To Blur Background In Bird Photography?
If you want to blur a bird image, you have two options, and they are done instead when taking the photo or using photoshop or other software. Below are mentioned some easy ways to learn to make blur backgrounds while taking the bird photo.
Aperture
How blurry and sharp the background will depend on the aperture. It is also known as f-number or f-stop. Generally, the aperture provides two main functions: exposure control and adjusting the depth of field and the image sharpness. So, first, you need to know what the number means and how you can use them to make an image blur.
It refers to opening a lens’s diaphragm when light passes. It is written as 1.4, 2, 2.8, and so on. The higher f-number means less light will pass through the leans, and it indicates a smaller aperture, and a lower number refers larger aperture, and the more light will pass through the lens.
So, the higher number will provide you less blurred image, and the lower number will provide you with a higher blurred image. If you set the aperture to f/2.8, you will get a more blurred image than f/5.6.
So, when you get the perfect view of the image and want to take a blurred image, first focus on the birds and decrease the aperture number, which is also known as the widest aperture, according to your preference. Also, the blurred quality will depend on your lens.
You need to practice and continue to learn how to operate the aperture for perfect blurred images.
Focal length
Focal length refers to the distance from the lens to the sensor while you are focused on a subject. Generally, the focal lengths measured by mm as 55 mm and 100 mm. It determines how much zoon the lens can take. The higher zoom means you will get a more blurred and smooth background.
If you have a higher focal length, you can get smooth blurred background even with a higher aperture number. For example, apertures f/5.6 with a 200 mm lens can provide you with a clearer and better-blurred image than f/2.8 with a 100 mm lens.
So, you need to maintain a proper combination of aperture and focal length to get a perfect blurred image of birds.
Sensor Size
The sensor size also affects getting a blurry image. If your camera body comes with a large sensor, there is a chance that you will get longer focal lengths which leads to a better blur image. The higher sensor size allows you to get a more clean and smooth background compared to small-sized sensors.
Maintain close distance
If you can get close to birds, the chance of getting proper blurry background will increase. We have a dedicated guide about how you can get close to birds for photography.
It does not make it any less necessary for you to zoom out to get closer. It helps you increase the background blur and does not minimize the depth of the field. However, you know it does not always make it possible.
You should always consider your composition before zooming in or stepping closer. Otherwise, better backgrounds do not make your image great if your subject is poorly represented.
Lenses
If you want to go to the field to get a perfect shot of birds, then you should consider investing in good-quality lenses. Whether you will get a perfect image will depend on which lenses are you going to use for bird photography.
To get a perfect blurry image of birds, you should go with a lens that comes with a wider aperture and a good amount of focal length. Also, you should consider other factors such as autofocus and vibration reduction.
Maintain distance between subject and background
If you can maintain a good distance between subject and background, you will get a better chance to take a perfect blurry shoot. But, it is quite hard to maintain the factor in bird photography as they are always moving from one place to another.
How to blur the background of bird photos in photoshop?
If you have already captured a bird photo and want to blur it, the best way is to use photoshop. You will get all the professional settings to blur the image, and you can easily do this without compromising the original quality of the image.
If you want to blur background images of bird photos, you can get the visual instruction. It will provide you with an in-depth overview of how you can do the task.
Final words
Blurring a photo can provide a great look, and sometimes it will lead to a masterpiece image. For this, you should learn how to blur an image. After finishing the in-depth guide, I hope you know how to blur birds photo’s background easily.
