Hi Tamara! I bought my DSLR over a year ago and thanks to you I am finally getting out of Auto mode!

I have a Canon Rebel EOS t1i. It came with the EFS 18-55mm lens and I also bought a EFS 18-200mm lens. I really like the post you did on aperture and have been experimenting using both lenses. I really love photos with a clear, crisp subject surrounded by lots of bokeh. However, my f/stop number doesn't go lower than 3.5-ish. Should I consider buying yet another lens or do you have any other tips for achieving crisp subject / tons of bokeh?

Thank you!!

Yay Georgina! I hope you’re having fun!

The 18-200mm is a killer all-in-one lens for travel and other general merriment, so I definitely back that purchase above your kit lens. It’s incredibly flexible. 

Two things I can think of, and only one requires shopping:

If your aperture won’t go as low as you like, you can try to trick it by reconfiguring the depth of field by creating a bigger gap between the subject and the background just by moving them towards you a bit. 

For crispness on a moving, living and breathing subject, make sure your focus locks on the most important part (usually, the eyes). Try a faster shutter speed but flick on every light if you have to to balance exposure. Cannot stress the importance of light enough on this.

You’ll have to go into manual mode completely and play around with it for what works in your home, etc. as shutter priority and aperture priority aren’t going to compensate for the speed and/or bokeh you want; the camera will just go for the obvious. For example, in Av mode, the camera could opt for a shutter speed lower than 1/100 which is going to cause blur unless the baby is sleeping. Even then, you can’t be shaky and as steady as we all think we are… Maybe pop the camera on a table top or stack of books if pulling out a tripod seems over the top for this! 

Av • 1/30 @ f/3.5, ISO 400

Av • 1/30 @ f/3.5, ISO 400 w/ another lamp turned on and auto focus locked.

Manual • 1/250 @ f/3.5, ISO 400. But Jimmy Fallon was on Sesame Street.

As for the second option — the one that involves shopping — I’m smitten with the potential in a 50mm for babies and kids and Canon’s 1.8 lens doesn’t get much better for about $140 CAD. You *can* go up to the 1.4 ($480 CAD) but really, it’s not necessary for what we’re gabbing about here on this blog. I use the 1.8 for my business and have nothing but positive things to say, so for that price… Here are some examples. 

Manual • 1/125 @ f/2.8, ISO 400. Everything that is on the same plane is in focus, and everything behind is blurry. Even because her head was tilted, one eye is out of focus, one isn’t. 

Av • 1/100 @ f/2, ISO 400. Again, with the shirt closest to the lens, it’s more in focus. Even with her head being ever so slightly forward, it’s now entering the bokeh zone. 

Maybe consider the 50mm as your next camera-related purchase but in the meantime, have fun with 3.5. Charlotte’s too darling to not take a gazillion pictures of everyday so talk about a great excuse! Hope that helps!

Notes

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