Monthly Archives: December 2012

The Brenizer Method: Some Tips Learned from its Creator and Some Learned the Hard Way

The Brenizer Method (aka, bokeh panorama) is one of my favorite photographic techniques.  Why?  When done correctly, bokeh panoramas have a certain 3D “pop” highlighted by sharp subjects with blurred backgrounds resulting from insanely shallow depth-of-field that can’t be achieved by simply taking a single snap wide open with a wide-angle lens (and without all that silly wide-angle distortion too).   I’ve devoted much of this year learning and practicing this method and it took me several dozen attempts just to get comfortable “taking it out of the bag” at weddings and engagement shoots.  I can relate to many of those experimenting with the method for the first time as the experience can be a source of much frustration and angst as well as much exhilaration when done successfully for the very first time.  I’ve had the unique opportunity and privilege to work with Ryan Brenizer on almost twenty weddings this year and watch him shoot many “Brenizers” as well as many other amazing photography techniques.  Below are a few bullet points and examples based on my own trial and error as well as observations learned from Brenizer himself.  Happy shooting!

  • Think about framing your composition and what you want to include in your frame (Ryan suggests using your fingers as a visual framing tool).
  • Lock in your focus and your exposure (hold down the AE/AF lock when shooting or switch to manual focus after “zeroing” in on your subject).
  • Bake in the white balance if you’re shooting JPEG (otherwise always best to shoot in RAW).
  • Shoot at large apertures (f/1.2 – f/2) to maximize shallow depth-of-field.
  • Shoot at low ISO to maximize sharpness of the subject in focus.
  • Ideal lighting conditions are key – cloudy conditions are best when you’re outside or in open shade.  When you’re shooting at night you can illuminate the subject with continuous lighting (e.g, video light or modeling light).
  • When shooting people or animals, the point of focus should always be on the eyes (make sure that you have the main subject’s entire face in the same frame).
  • Take a photo of the subject first and then you can start at the upper corner and work your way down the “frame” in a repeating “S” pattern (you can go over the subject again).
  • Try not to snap the frames too quickly – you can get unwanted motion blur especially if you’re shooting at lower shutter speeds.
  • Don’t stand too close to your subjects; doing so can create lots of stitching errors and distortion.
  • Don’t stand too far away from your subjects as being too far can mitigate the shallow depth-of-field (approximately 10-20 feet away from the subject is ideal depending on what you’re shooting and what lens you’re using).
  • Make sure the camera stays on the same axis, shifting the axis will result in paralax errors.
  • Better results can be achieved with longer lenses with large apertures versus a normal lens.  I use the 85mm f/1.4 or 135mm f/2 (200 f/2.8 also works).
  • For software you can use Microsoft ICE (free) or Autopano Pro (if you use a Mac).  You can use Photoshop but I find PS takes too long and uses way too much of your system’s resources.
  • Practice, practice, practice!

 

From Top Left to Right to Bottom:  1) 24 exposures  2) “Inception” or “Brenizer of Brenizer shooting a Brenizer” 26 exposures  3) 36 exposures  4) 101 exposures   

New York City Wedding Photographer

Jonathan Bell -

Great tips Dave and some excellent portraits too. I’m going to look at autopan as I too find PS grinds to a halt during and makes my mac unusable after.

Martin Balo -

Amazing! Thank you very much!

Dave Paek -

Thank you @[100004195592695:2048:Jonathan]! It’s been too long – sorry I’ve been out of pocket for some time! I can’t wait to catch up!

Dave Paek -

Thank you @[628820537:2048:Martin]!

Meling -

KS – As a weekend waorirr myself, this is an enlightening post, although I have a few things to add:1. Everyone starts off doing $2-3K weddings. But you get what you pay for. Better photographers will charge more. It’s plain economics. And although not everyone can tell the difference between a decent photographer and an artist, some people can. There will always be a market for the talented. And I would venture to guess that pro photographers *prefer* the discerning bride that can tell the difference between average and great.2. Yes, photography *is* expensive, which is why people start off as weekend waorirrs. I bet most/many photographers started out that way. These people (including me) get the experience they need under their belts until they have the skill that justifies leaving their day jobs to become full time pros.3. Long hours: Do they matter if you love what you’re doing and find passion/purpose in it? I’ve always believed that if you land a job that you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Ann M Rua Chabert -

(from Annadelf/Flickr): Lovely shots…I’m very impressed with getting children in this type of processing because they tend to move around a lot, and I imagine that the stitching must be more complicated! Bravo!

Kecia Foose -

Simply wanna comment on few general things, The website style and design is perfect, the content is very superb : D.

Andre Thyng -

I enjoy the efforts you have put in this, thank you for all the great posts.

Dann Malanado -

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