How to use a telephoto lens to capture flowers with background blur

How to photograph flowers with background blur

A new photographer recently emailed saying he was trying to recreate some of the close up flower shots he had seen throughout SLR Photography Guide. More specifically, he was trying to recreate the background blur seen behind the flowers.

Here was his question:

I recently purchased a Nikon D40X that came with two lens, the 18-55 focal length and another one up to 200mm. I am trying to recreate some of your shots, for example, the close ups of flowers etc, and trying to get the background as blurred as you have it. But I really think one would need a good macro lens, is this correct?

This is actually a question many new photographers ask. The answer is no, you don’t necessarily need a good macro lens to achieve a nice background blur when photographing flowers. A telephoto zoom lens with a focal length of 200mm or higher will also get the same effect quite easily.

How to use a telephoto zoom lens to photograph flowers with a nice background blur?

To achieve a blurred background with a telephoto zoom lens is easy. The first step is to set your camera’s Aperture to a low number, for example F/5. Now fully extend your lens focal length out to the maximum (200mm or higher depending on your lens). Then move in as close to the subject as your camera will allow, yet still be able to focus. Now take the shot and view it in your LCD screen.

If you find the background still isn’t as blurred as you’d like it to be, try picking a flower where the actual background elements are further away from the subject you are photographing. The further away the background elements are from the flower, the nicer and more effective the background blur.

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