Photographing succulents like this makes the photos beautifully blurred

Location / Beijing

Editor / Succulent Plant Hui

The 2nd installment of succulent photography is here. Such a dreamy style of depth and blur, the results really look so good. Those friends who even bought DSLRs for their succulents? Hurry up and learn~

I have always emphasized that everyone has their own style when it comes to photography. Even if your photos do not have an obvious style now, after shooting for a while it will gradually take shape.

Take me for example. I like to use a super-large aperture against a chaotic background to create a dreamy effect on the subject. This is my rather signature style.

While some flower friends, especially men, prefer a clean and deep background to highlight a subject with clear lines and high contrast.

I think you have also wondered why some photos look so psychedelic, while others are so clean and rigid. This issue mainly explains for everyone the "between reality and blur" of succulent photography.

Before getting to the main topic, there is one more requirement. I hope that from the moment you seriously start reading through this guide, you will set your camera mode to M (manual mode), and swear never to use auto mode again. If you bought an expensive camera and only use auto mode every day, that is really wasting this expense.

In addition, the smaller the f value, the larger the aperture. So when you hear others say large aperture, remember it means a small f value. Do not get it backwards~

From the basic rules above, it is not hard to see that the meaning of aperture for the photo itself lies in brightness and degree of blur.

As for how bright the image needs to be and how deep the blur should be, there are no fixed rules. It needs to be decided by repeatedly operating and comparing according to the actual lighting conditions and our own ideal settings for the photo.

Background blur effect brought by a large aperture

The blur we talk about is all aimed at the background outside the subject. If even the subject is blurred, then that is an expression of another special mood, and this depends on your own interest.

As mentioned above, I have a relatively favorite mode. A vividly colored blurred background is my beloved. Taking my style as an example, how do we shoot it?

First, we need to choose the subject and background well. I usually choose a large patch of richly colored succulents as the background, so that under the blur effect, the outline of the background will be very indistinct, and what remains is a colorful shadow.

As for the subject, it is best to choose a color that stands out more compared with the background color. It will make the subject more prominent and also better set off the overall brilliance of the image.

One problem is that if it is a bright daytime and we set the f value very small, the image may be very bright. If you do not want to increase the f value (because the background will not be blurry enough), then how do we balance the brightness of our image?

There are the following methods (note that all examples in the article are based on pure M manual mode):

1. Adjust the metering in the parameters to average metering, which can adjust the white balance of the image according to the brightness within the entire viewfinder;

2. Increase the shutter speed, which can also effectively reduce excessive brightness;

3. Lower the ISO sensitivity. The lower the ISO, the less light enters the camera, and the image will accordingly become darker. On the contrary, in a dimly lit environment, you need to raise the ISO to obtain greater image brightness.

Of course, the ISO value is closely related to image quality. The lower the ISO value, the more delicate the image; usually using automatic ISO is also no problem;

4. There is also exposure compensation in the parameters. You can adjust exposure compensation to a negative state, which can also effectively reduce brightness

5. Of course, using a lens hood and other shading methods is also a way. I will not go into detail here.

Blurred background under a large aperture

Prominent subject under a large aperture

If you want the subject to remain clear with smooth lines, besides not choosing too low an f value, there are also many details you need to pay attention to:

1. If you want the subject to be absolutely prominent and clear, then you should not choose a background environment that is too complex. A solid-color background will be a very good choice;

2. The previous issue mentioned the importance of focus, and applying it here is the same. If you want the subject to stand out, the focus must all be on the subject.

If you cannot focus accurately due to lighting or other reasons, you can choose single-point autofocus or switch the lens to manual focus. Take out the camera and look carefully. There will be a small adjustment button on the lens, with AF/MF written on it.

AF is autofocus, the most commonly used mode in modern society. MF is manual focus, which requires you to rotate the lens by hand and find the desired depth-of-field distance and clarity yourself. Try adjusting it and you will understand what I mean;

3. Try changing the position of the subject in the frame more often. It does not have to be in the exact center to express a prominent subject. On the side, or in the lower left or lower right corner, there will be unique image effects. Paired with your own carefully chosen background, you will get a phone wallpaper you shot yourself;

4. Sometimes the subject we want to express is not a single individual. Perhaps you want to show a large panoramic view, in which case you need to choose a relatively large f value and more focus points.

When the f value is relatively large, the image will become darker, so you need to adjust brightness in a relatively bright scene or by lowering the shutter speed, increasing the ISO value (note that a large ISO value will reduce image quality), or increasing exposure compensation.

Solid-color background plus large aperture

When the subject is the entire image, choose a larger f value and more focus points

In summary, this is what I want to say today about "between reality and blur." What you get from paper is ultimately shallow. No matter how much is said, you still need to practice it yourself to experience the mysteries within.

You can try shooting three works under a chaotic background, with all values completely unchanged in M mode, using your camera's smallest, largest, and middle f values;

Under a solid-color (pure white/pure black) background, with all values completely unchanged in M mode, use your camera's smallest, largest, and middle f values to shoot three works.

I believe that after shooting these 6 photos, you will be able to understand the relationship between reality and blur.

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