An easy way to take better photos

June 6, 2014 by

Joe Garcia

Have you ever wondered how photographers achieve that amazing blurry effect, or bokeh, in their photos?

Well, it's not as hard or as expensive as you might think.

My friend Brandon Vogt, over at strangenotions.com, asked me the other day, "Hey Joe! I need a camera to take better photos of my family and shoot a little video for work with that cool blurry effect in the background. What would you recommend?"

Here's what I recommended to Brandon:

1. A Digital SLR Camera - Canon EOS Rebel T4i with 18-55mm EF-S IS II Lens
2. 50mm Lens - Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens or the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for you Nikon users.

Most cameras that you purchase  online or at the store come with a kit lens. These are great lenses but they limit your ability to dial your f-stop down to get that dreamy, blurry effect. This is a photo that most kit lens would be able to take at their lowest f-stop. Usually f 4.0.

While it's still a great photo, it could be much better. What I used in the video is a Canon 50 mm fixed lens. It allows you to dial down your f-stop much lower. (f1.8) This lens allowed me to achieve the blurry background effect I was going for.

We'd love to see your photos on our eCatholic Facebook and Twitter page. Feel free to comment below and I'll be happy to answer any questions.