Creating depth and dimension in your pigeon photography through shallow focus

Pigeons are interesting creatures and make for great subjects in photography. They are often overlooked as being "common" birds, but they can be quite beautiful and photogenic. One way to make your pigeon photography stand out is to use shallow focus to create depth and dimension in your images.

Shallow focus is when you have a small portion of the image in sharp focus, while the rest is blurred. This can be achieved by using a large aperture (low f-stop number) on your camera. The large aperture allows less light to enter the camera, which in turn makes the depth of field (the area in focus) shallow.

When photographing pigeons, you can use shallow focus to really make them stand out against their background. By blurring the background, you place all the attention on the bird itself. This technique can be especially effective when photographing in urban environments, where there are busy and cluttered backgrounds. The shallow focus helps to isolate the pigeon and make it the star of the show.

To get started with shallow focus photography, set your camera to Aperture Priority mode ( denoted as "Av" on most cameras). This will allow you to control the aperture, while the camera sets the shutter speed and ISO for you. Then, choose a large aperture setting, such as f/2.8 or f/4.0. The lower the f-stop number, the larger the aperture and the shallower the depth of field.

Take a few practice shots to get a feel for the shallow depth of field. Then, when you're ready, start taking some photos of pigeons! Experiment with different apertures and distances to find the look that you like best. And have fun!