A question often the first time DSLR buyers ask after sometime playing with the camera and the kit lens (most commonly the 18-55 mm f3.5-f5.6 which bundles with the camera) is how to achieve a shallow depth of field, may be some bokeh effect, especially for portraiture. The easiest way to achieve the shallow depth of field is by maximizing the opening or the aperture of your lens. Therefore a lens with a maximum aperture or a lower f number will produce a greater shallow depth of field than a lens whose aperture is much smaller.
The most cost efficient lens for this is the nifty fifty or the infamous 50 mm 1.8.( The canon 50 mm 1.8 is around 100 $) However in this case we are focusing on how to achieve the maximum shallow depth of field using the lens you already have, that is the standard 18-55 mm f3.5-5 lens.
Mainly 3 factors affect the shallow depth of field.
1) Aperture of the lens 2) Focal length of the lens 3) Distance between the subject and the background.
Here in the case of the standard kit lens f3.5 at the wide angle end is not likely to produce a noticeable shallow depth of field, so I suggest going all the way up to f5.6 at the telephoto end.
Greater the focal length of the lens greater is the shallow depth of field you are going to achieve. That being said a 70-200 f4 L lens would produce a shallower, compressed depth of field at 200 mm end than your standard kit lens. So use the telephoto end of your kit lens whenever you need to compress the background.
Third most important factor is the distance between the background and the subject. Increase the distance between your subject and the background as much as possible to achieve the maximum compression possible.
By following these three simple steps you will be able to achieve a much shallower depth of field than you already did. Let us know how everything went and post your images here so that we can discuss further.
Here is my achievement. This was shot using canon 18-55 mm is ii lens with a canon 1100d
![[Image: 6817941794_e8de97e777_m.jpg]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6817941794_e8de97e777_m.jpg)
The most cost efficient lens for this is the nifty fifty or the infamous 50 mm 1.8.( The canon 50 mm 1.8 is around 100 $) However in this case we are focusing on how to achieve the maximum shallow depth of field using the lens you already have, that is the standard 18-55 mm f3.5-5 lens.
Mainly 3 factors affect the shallow depth of field.
1) Aperture of the lens 2) Focal length of the lens 3) Distance between the subject and the background.
Here in the case of the standard kit lens f3.5 at the wide angle end is not likely to produce a noticeable shallow depth of field, so I suggest going all the way up to f5.6 at the telephoto end.
Greater the focal length of the lens greater is the shallow depth of field you are going to achieve. That being said a 70-200 f4 L lens would produce a shallower, compressed depth of field at 200 mm end than your standard kit lens. So use the telephoto end of your kit lens whenever you need to compress the background.
Third most important factor is the distance between the background and the subject. Increase the distance between your subject and the background as much as possible to achieve the maximum compression possible.
By following these three simple steps you will be able to achieve a much shallower depth of field than you already did. Let us know how everything went and post your images here so that we can discuss further.
Here is my achievement. This was shot using canon 18-55 mm is ii lens with a canon 1100d