Focus and DOF, doing my head ... right in:-)

[Mike Jones]

I photograph my Bonsai tree collection (badly most of the time). I would very much like to ask if you would guide me over a bit of a puzzle.

You'll no doubt chuckle at how basic a question it is but never-the-less it is an important one to me.

Some of my trees are very large and weigh in at over 300lbs each, thus, getting distance between Bonsai and background to limit DOF and hence get a blurry background is very difficult. I already have a 3 metre x 3 metre backdrop and shooting at around 40-50mm on a crop sensor camera, if I take the tree too far forward I struggle to have the background cover all the Bonsai. In other words when looking through the viewfinder the tree becomes to large at its extremes for the backdrop.

I am mostly on my own so cannot easily move the tree to use a plain wall of the bungalow. Hernia springs to mind.

When I focus with the 500D, I can as you all know have a choice of single point focus or multi 9 point focus. Using the single focus with apertures around 7-8 will not get all of the Bonsai in focus so I stick to multi which does actually get all of the tree in focus but also I see that the red dots will pick up the background as well, thus no blurred background.

I've thought about this and thought about it until I am stuck as to know what next. Yes I can post edit, but it would be nice to have a good start.

Maybe what I want is not possible? If I go wide angle say down at 25mm even less whilst the entire tree is in focus proportions are wrong. Hence again, I use 35-50mm to have the image look as close as possible to what the eye sees without distortions.

I'd be ever so pleased if you could suggest anything that I could try.

Thank you in anticipation.

Mike

 

[HoppyUK]

Your AF points won't change the depth of field. I would use the centre point and check the f/number you need here www.dofmaster.com At least you then know exactly what is focused on and you can adjust the f/number and know exactly what you're getting to be sharp.

To make the background more out of focus, you need distance between it and the subject. I understand your problem here running out of background area, but if you can move the camera back further and use a longer lens, you should still be able to get the whole tree within the 3x3m area due to the narrower field of view.

Does that make sense?

 

[artyman]

Perhaps use a plain background of a suitable colour, shoot the bonsai, then soot your background out of focus, use PP to remove the plain coloured background of the bonsai shot and overlay it over the background shot.

 

[cw318is]

Had a little look at your website, they look really cool with the snow on!

If you've got a bit of space in front of the tree, can you move back a bit and use your 55-250 to pull it out a bit more?

I hope you don't mind but I did a couple of v quick v rough edits to show you what Ken is getting at. The blur was a perfectly in focus shot that had a bit of guassian blur applied. Don't know if that would be something you want to try?

I also think white would look a lot better then noisy black as a background!

Say the word and they will be removed. HTH.

 

[Mike Jones]

A-maze-ing, how I loathe being such a photographic numpty.

Hoppy, yes it does and worth a try. Ken, I have never tried that procedure, so will give it a go.

HTH, leave em be, it may well inspire me further. Goodness gracious your good!


Mike

 

[DorsetDude]

Mike, HTH = "hope this helps", his actual name is Caleb.

Just thought I'd nip in and mention it for future ref!

Nice tree pic by the way, is it a cypress of some sort? Wild guess.

 

[cw318is]

HTH.... Whoever invented internet speak wants a dry slap!

Mike thanks for your PM. Bit tight on time now to give you a full tute but here is a pretty generic way - I'm using CS3 but Elements is very similar;

Open the file, duplicate the background layer with the image on (keyboard shortcut Ctrl+J)
Hide the background layer by clicking the eye next to it in the layers box. Working on the top layer and using the polygon lasoo tool (keyboard shortcut L) go around the edge of the tree selecting the background until you've got a complete ring of marching ants. Press delete and you should be left with the tree.
Press Ctrl+D to deselect.
To do the white background, add a new layer between the background and background copy layer and paint or fill it white.
To give the blurred background, paste in another photo (it can be of anything but with the colours you want in), again add it in between background and background copy. Select it, click filter>blur>guassian blur and set the value that looks good to your eyes.
Once thats done, flatten the image and your good to go!

Let me know if any element of that doesn't make sense, if I get time this evening and your still having issues I'll do a full tutorial for you.

Caleb.

 

[Mike Jones]

HTH, Caleb, I cannot believe what a 21st century numperty I am. Off holding head in shame and embarrassment.:bonk:

 

[Mike Jones]

Mike, HTH = "hope this helps", his actual name is Caleb.

Just thought I'd nip in and mention it for future ref!

Nice tree pic by the way, is it a cypress of some sort? Wild guess.

No DD, it is a 165 year old Pinus parviflora var. pentaphylla, or otherwise known as a Japanese White Pine. Predominantly that is because it is a JWP top half grafted onto Pinus thunbergii (Japanese black pine). The BP root stock is very hardy and with teh grafting the clusters of needles which form in fives can be made to get very short indeed. Also, the JWP itself has a relatively uninspiring bark finish. The BP which can be clearly seen at the base is gnarled and has many deep fissures which adds to the overall attraction of this species.

I have a couple of very nice Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or called just plain ol Hinoki. These are native to central Japan and make wonderful Bonsai. I shall look forward to showing them during the year. I am hopeful one is off to Chelsea this year.

Oh, and thank you for putting me right with the name Caleb. Nice name as it happens, I have visions of a man in black armed with a pair of colts roaming the Wild West.

Mike