THE LENS LIBRARY / ESSAY 03

Background craft

Control blur through distance, structure, and light.

THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

Find your next study.

10 GUIDES / PRACTICAL BY DESIGN

10 guides

Increase subject-to-background distance before changing the aperture.

Look for broad color and shape relationships rather than tiny details.

Move until the brightest background highlights sit away from the subject's outline.

Place a nearby element outside the focus plane without covering important features.

Compare apertures and highlight placement to choose the preferred bokeh shape.

Use separated foreground, subject, and background distances to establish depth.

Stop down until the landmark reads without competing with the face.

Change viewpoint so thin high-contrast lines no longer crowd the subject.

Find simple patches of color that remain calm even at a smaller aperture.

Vary focus distance while keeping the light arrangement consistent.