<![CDATA[Inspire Photography - Blog]]>Mon, 24 Nov 2025 01:42:10 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[The Beauty of Shallow Depth of Field in Portrait Photography]]>Wed, 19 Jun 2024 03:43:09 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/the-beauty-of-shallow-depth-of-field-in-portrait-photographyAs a portrait photographer, I’ve always been captivated by the magic of shallow depth of field. Shooting at f/1.4 not only highlights the subject in a stunning way but also adds an artistic flair that transforms a simple photograph into a visual masterpiece. In this blog post, I’ll delve into why I believe this effect is so beautiful and share a bit of information about the concept of shallow depth of field to get you started.

Understanding Shallow Depth of Field

Depth of field (DoF) refers to the range of distance within a photo that appears acceptably sharp. When we talk about shallow depth of field, we mean that only a small portion of the image is in focus while the rest is beautifully blurred. This effect is achieved by using a wide aperture, such as f/1.4. 

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Aperture: The size of the lens opening that allows light to hit the camera sensor. A wide aperture (low f-number) like f/1.4 means more light enters the lens, which reduces the depth of field.
Focus Point: The specific area in the frame that you focus on will be sharp, while areas before and beyond this point will gradually blur.
Background Blur (Bokeh): The aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas in an image. With a shallow depth of field, the background becomes soft and creamy, directing all attention to the subject.

Why I Love Shooting at f/1.4
  • Isolation of the Subject: Shooting portraits at f/1.4 creates a striking separation between the subject and the background. This isolation draws viewers' eyes directly to the subject, emphasizing their features and expressions. It’s like placing a spotlight on your subject in a busy environment, making them the undeniable star of the shot.
  • Artistic Background Blur: The dreamy, blurred backgrounds achieved with a shallow depth of field are not just about isolating the subject; they add an element of artistry to the photograph. This blur, often referred to as bokeh, is aesthetically pleasing and can turn ordinary backgrounds into beautiful, abstract canvases.
  • Enhanced Focus on Details: By narrowing the focus, shooting at f/1.4 allows me to highlight intricate details such as the sparkle in a subject’s eyes, the texture of their skin, or the subtleties of their expressions. These details bring portraits to life, adding depth and emotion to the images.
  • Creates a Sense of Intimacy: Shallow depth of field has a way of creating an intimate, personal feel in portraits. The subject appears closer, more connected to the viewer, making the photograph feel like a private moment shared between the subject and the audience.
  • Versatility in Various Lighting Conditions: A wide aperture like f/1.4 is particularly useful in low-light situations. It allows more light to hit the sensor, enabling better exposure and reducing the need for artificial lighting. This versatility ensures that I can capture stunning portraits even in challenging lighting conditions.

Tips for Shooting Portraits with Shallow Depth of Field:
  • Choose the Right Lens: Prime lenses with wide apertures (e.g., 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.4) are ideal for achieving shallow depth of field. They offer excellent sharpness and beautiful bokeh.
  • Focus Carefully: At f/1.4, the margin for error is very small. Make sure to focus precisely on the subject’s eyes, as they are typically the most important feature in a portrait.
  • Consider the Background: While it will be blurred, the background still plays a role in the composition. Choose a background that complements the subject and enhances the overall mood of the portrait.
  • Experiment with Distance: The distance between the camera, subject, and background affects the depth of field. Experiment with these distances to achieve the desired amount of blur and subject isolation.

In conclusion, shooting portraits with a shallow depth of field at f/1.4 is a technique that adds beauty, depth, and emotion to photographs. It transforms ordinary scenes into extraordinary portraits by isolating the subject, creating artistic bokeh, and highlighting intricate details. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just starting, exploring the world of shallow depth of field will undoubtedly enhance your portrait photography and allow you to capture stunning, intimate images.]]><![CDATA[On location with Krackerjack]]>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 23:05:32 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/on-location-with-krackerjackA few weeks ago my friend Lisa approached me to take some photographs of 'Krackerjack', an amazing Polish band that she is a member of. Krackerjack were in need of some nice promotional photographs for them to use. Of course I accepted the challenge and went round to the Dom Polski House in Newtown where they practice..
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www.polishcommunity.org.nz
The Dom Polski (Polish House) at 257 Riddiford Street, Newtown has served as the physical and spiritual home of the Wellington Polish community since the mid-1960s. In that time, it has served the community faithfully, hosting an uncountable number of performances, dinners, lunches, dances, fairs, meetings and get-togethers. It has hosted many offshoot Polish clubs as well as being the home for the Wellington Polish School for many years.
Lisa sent me through a few images to get the feel of what style of image they wanted. It was great to have a reference for the feel of photos they wanted. 
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So on Monday night I got to work, arriving early to get a feel of the place and deciding to photograph the band in front of the stage, as on the stage would be really hard to light and would of meant that everyone was squished together.

​Here is an image that I took whilst setting up. There is a light off camera to the left near the heater. This light I used as a main/key light, the light on the right (with umbrella) was used to fill in the shadows and the light on the right by the door was being used as a hair/rim light. I was trying to emulate the lighting of the third image (right hand side) that Lisa sent through, and thought I got a similar feel after some adjustments.
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Once all the band arrived, I made some final tweaks and managed to get the feel I was looking for with the lighting. The next step was to get the band in action, but found after I had asked the band to play a piece, that I wasn't getting the vibe of the music through the images as the group were probably concentrating too much on the music. I then requested they just play scales for the photographs, which took the seriousness out of the posing. After various compositions and playing with expressions I think we got the vibe and feel of the group represented in the final images. I really enjoyed this photoshoot with this amazing band.

How did I do?

Please let me know in the comments :)

Simon

]]><![CDATA[We've extended our Family Promo into 2020!]]>Wed, 13 Nov 2019 21:58:07 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/weve-extended-our-family-promo-into-2020Yes, that is right! We have extended our most popular promotion until the end of February 2020!

We’ve made it so much cheaper and easier for you to have beautiful family photos that you can be proud of. If you are keen to get into the studio, we currently have times available throughout January and February. Book in now, as these spots are limited.

We look forward to seeing you this summer!
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]]><![CDATA[KARORI WEST NORMAL SCHOOL FAIR, This Saturday!]]>Tue, 02 Apr 2019 22:57:47 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/karori-west-normal-school-fair-this-saturdaySaturday 6 April 2019 from 11:00am - 2:00pm
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]]><![CDATA[Our Real Nappies model is growing up fast!]]>Tue, 29 Jan 2019 22:57:27 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/our-real-nappies-model-is-growing-up-fast
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The owners of Real Nappies based here in Wellington were happy to come and take us up on our Christmas gift this year. We have known this little guy since he was six months old!
  • Better for the Planet
  • Better for our Health
Check out https://realnappies.com/ for more information
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]]><![CDATA[Creative portraits for Modern Families]]>Thu, 24 Jan 2019 01:54:03 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/january-23rd-2019
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]]><![CDATA[Hona Family, Congratulations on your new arrival]]>Wed, 16 Jan 2019 21:42:39 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/hona-family-congratulations-on-your-new-arrival
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]]><![CDATA["Silly Simon, making children laugh since ages ago"]]>Wed, 16 Jan 2019 00:31:14 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/silly-simon-making-children-laugh-since-ages-ago
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Please click the button below to request a private sitting.
Booking request
]]><![CDATA[A year of change]]>Sat, 15 Dec 2018 01:55:46 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/a-year-of-changePicture
With one of our busiest years to date nearly to an end, I just thought I would write a little about what has been happening here at Inspire Photography.

This year has been full of changes, with staff members coming, going and most importantly and sadly, we said a fond farewell to Penny Evans (Director since 2007) who after achieving so many of her life goals along side and hand in hand with Inspire Photography over the past 11 years, decided to leave and start on a fresh new academic path of discovery. 

"It was with great sadness I said goodbye to Simon and the team at Inspire in May this year.  Over the past 11 years I’ve been lucky to experience many great times and meet fabulous people as a photographer but the time had come for me to start a new adventure.  I’m now studying Health Psychology at Victoria University; the complete change in focus and the academic challenge is just what I needed.  I’m kept busy learning about the where’s, why’s and how’s of health and well-being, as well as juggling being a Mum to Lois, who is now a busy 3 year old.  I’ve a few more years of study ahead, and after that I hope to be working in health services." - Penny Evans

Good luck Penny, you will be sorely missed. 


Inspire would like to welcome Abdullah Rashid

Abdullah is our new photo technician/photographer here at Inspire and is an absolute wizz at just about everything. Needless to say we are really happy he has joined our team and am looking forward to working together in 2019 (Click here to see his full team profile)

Abdullah's wealth of knowledge within the school photography business has been a real win for us at Inspire. Being able to walk into employment at Inspire and start shooting straight away was an immense relief to us all as Penny's shoes were hard to fill, but also as a result we are now employing a whole new shooting system that enables us to do so much more with the images afterwards, which includes naming the photos with each child's name and exporting them e-Tap Database ready. The list goes on.

​Online ordering upgrade

We are now in the final stages of preparing our new online ordering website, which is something a lot of our customers will be grateful for. Although our current site has proven to be a good steadfast workhorse, the inability to order on your devices has been a real hinderance to our ordering process. With the new site, this has been addressed and will be ready over the coming months. 
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Seems like we will be having a busy year ahead and with that being said, I would like to wish you all an Amazing 2019 and look forward to seeing you then.

Regards

Simon and the Inspire Team.

]]><![CDATA[Christmas Deadlines]]>Tue, 27 Nov 2018 01:15:52 GMThttps://www.inspirephotography.co.nz/blog/christmas-deadlines
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