Shallow DOF portraits tutorial using continuous lighting

Posted on November 20, 2013 by ShutterBug

This is a great technique for taking portraits using shallow depth of field to give your portraits a distinctive look. In the studio Gavin Hoey takes you thr…

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25 Responses to Shallow DOF portraits tutorial using continuous lighting

  1. Mark Jacob says:
    November 20, 2013 at 9:46 am

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  2. Hanny Alshazly says:
    November 20, 2013 at 10:04 am

    Thanks Gavin. I love your videos!

  3. rmpeete says:
    November 20, 2013 at 10:42 am

    THANK YOU Smickphoto and Gavin!!

  4. Erik Ballew says:
    November 20, 2013 at 10:49 am

    He is so close to the Model, I’m sure he very close to 70mm

  5. Denis Marin says:
    November 20, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Nice one. Simple and efficiantly

  6. smick.co.uk says:
    November 20, 2013 at 11:29 am

    @ny1fanta This is a continuous light not a strobe.

  7. KungFUcat10 says:
    November 20, 2013 at 12:06 pm

    Fantasic Gav….. PS i hope your paying Fraya good money ha ha, great shots
    and great ideas to try out thanks

  8. smick.co.uk says:
    November 20, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    Gavin now works for AdoramaTV there is a macro video due with tips but
    there will be overview videos that will be made clear so you don’t have to
    watch. We are still looking for a replacement presenter.

  9. Crater777 says:
    November 20, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    @gavtrain You really did great job, photos have nice artistic look to it. I
    thought you might added a bit blue color to the background, because in
    video it seemed really bright and white.

  10. Brian says:
    November 20, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    wow wow…stunting work Gavin…you rocks

  11. krstone0 says:
    November 20, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    That little girl is so beautiful…. she made me smile. Thanks for the
    lessons, they help out alot!

  12. smick.co.uk says:
    November 20, 2013 at 3:42 pm

    @2zporygon You will find Gavin at his own channel Photogavin as the
    tutorial explains this is using continuous lighting and Not flash the mode
    would have been aperture priority.

  13. 1stPlaceDirector says:
    November 20, 2013 at 3:57 pm

    You’re right. You can achieve a slightly greater depth of field by using a
    longer portrait lens like a 100mm or 135mm Prime lens, while using a wide
    open lens. You nailed the problem on the head when you said that a 1.2 or
    1.4 f-stop on a shot lens (50mm or less) leaves you with too narrow of a
    depth of field. Often the tip of the nose or back edge of the head are
    noticeably out of focus at wide open.

  14. smick.co.uk says:
    November 20, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    @abdulwasay Not easy to see your models expressions clearly if you have an
    ND3 or ND4 on tho

  15. 1stPlaceDirector says:
    November 20, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    Yes, a slightly smaller f-stop would increase the depth of field perfectly.

  16. Sam Dunn Photography says:
    November 20, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    i like gavin as he understands the word budget unlike most photographers
    who think 800 or under is cheap for a lens

  17. abdulwasay says:
    November 20, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    wrong theory! you can actually use a large aperture with flash for shallow
    depth of field by simply using a neutral density filter on your lens!

  18. st0001e says:
    November 20, 2013 at 7:24 pm

    what u really want is a 135mm f2.8 prime lens perfect for portraiture

  19. TheLazyLex says:
    November 20, 2013 at 8:20 pm

    Wow. Just amazing. You are truly a wonderful photographer, Gavin.

  20. markmeurs says:
    November 20, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    Well done Gavin…

  21. ionxi says:
    November 20, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    WoW! someone please tell me where I can get that backdrop. it seems very
    versatile and seamless. is it cloth, vinyl or paper?

  22. skateride says:
    November 20, 2013 at 10:15 pm

    the nifty fifty REPRESENT!

  23. Conor Hildebrandt says:
    November 20, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    why are 70-200 2.8 such a good or popular portrait lens ?? or is it JUST
    the fact that it’s 2.8 ? like any lens 2.8 or less is good ?

  24. ke4uyp says:
    November 20, 2013 at 11:15 pm

    Approximately what focal length were you shooting at was a closer to 200 mm
    or 100 mm?

  25. Bjarnes says:
    November 20, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    youre the greatest, thanks

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