How can I keep two people sharp in a portrait while using shallow depth of field?
Asked 3/13/2015
5 views
2 answers
0
I like portraits with very shallow depth of field, but when photographing two people standing close together, the person I focus on is sharp and the other person is soft. How can I keep both subjects acceptably sharp while still preserving a blurred background?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
3
You have quite a few options here, but in practice I've found one that works best for me.
- Rearrange your subjects so that their eyes are at the same distance from your lens
- Use a narrower aperture for greater depth of field
- Choose a focus distance between the two subjects rather than a focus point on one specifically
- Use a wider focal length(at the same distance)
The first option is what I would recommend. If you only have two subjects it is quite possible to arrange them so that they have their eyes at the same distance from the camera and still are in a pose that is desirable. It does depend on your posing, focal length, and aperture of course as well. But you should be able to shoot at quite wide apertures i.e. f/2.0 and still get enough depth of field with a standard focal length portrait lens to get adequate depth of field in the eyes and face of pair of subjects. Now if you want to shoot a group of people in the 3-4 subject range, you will have to step into the narrower apertures(f/4-5.6) to really get acceptable depth of field and focus across all of their faces.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
To keep both people sharp, you need both faces to fall within the depth of field. The most effective options are:
- pose them so their eyes are the same distance from the camera
- stop down to a smaller aperture (higher f-number, such as f/4 or f/5.6 instead of f/1.4 or f/1.8)
- focus between the two subjects rather than on only one
- increase your camera-to-subject distance
- use a wider focal length instead of a longer one
In practice, arranging the subjects so their eyes are on the same plane is often the best solution if you want to keep a shallow-depth-of-field look. If that alone isn’t enough, close the aperture a bit.
Remember: very wide apertures give a very thin zone of acceptable sharpness. If one person is slightly closer or farther from the camera, they can fall out of focus even if they appear side by side.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI11y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How aperture affects depth of field for groups, portraits, and subjects at different distances
How can I keep two people sharp with a 50mm f/1.8 while still blurring the background?
How do I keep a close group of people at different distances all in focus?
How can you create a soft foreground/background blend like this in-camera?
How can I use the rule of thirds when photographing two people in a portrait?