[WPRESTO]

Several posts have advised that the farther away the background is the from subject, the more more blurred it will be and the better the bokeh. So if your headstones are too close to trees, shrubbery, etc. just move one or the other.
That DOF/BOKEH simulator posted by bobbotron is really cool. Next time you're photographing headstones, be sure to take it in your camera bag.

Just kidding !!

[BrianR]

Several posts have advised that the farther away the background is the from subject, the more more blurred it will be and the better the bokeh. So if your headstones are too close to trees, shrubbery, etc. just move one or the other.

Carrying a shovel is always a good idea in case you have to move a tree or shrub. I'm not sure I'd advise carrying one around a cemetery though.

The old saying "photography is 5% inspiration, 95 % moving furniture," also applies to inconveniently placed forests.

[Na Horuk]

Well micromacro has been around for a while, not a total beginner.
I just remembered some photos I took at cemeteries. Just to illustrate my concerns. None of these would have been easier with a telephoto, and all of these already suffer due to cluttered backgrounds.

graves in park Used Pentax M 50mm f1.7, but not sure what aperture I chose. Was going for the blur effect, so probably not far from wide open. Had to crouch low to get nice perspective, straight horizontal lines
Jewish Cemetery at Lendava Used M 28mm around f6-f8, not much bokeh. Did not shoot wide open because this lens does not perform as well as I want it to at that aperture
Cemetery at Nova Gorica Used DA 35mm f2.4, not going for bokeh, but 35mm is already getting pretty tight
Soviet soldier cemetery in Weimar, Germany - DA 35mm f2.4 again
Soviet soldier cemetery, sunset - M 50mm f1.7. This one comes closest to what you mean to accomplish, but the OoF blur doesn't add very much, even though this photo was near wide open

These photos are not really meant to show you "how to get it right", but serve more as a warning

[micromacro]

These photos are not really meant to show you "how to get it right", but serve more as a warning

It helps to see the challenge, thanks. Your soviet solders cemetery with 35mm picture is closer to the style I'd like to get. I'd like to show the art there, and, if lucky, to picture the mood of history. Most likely I will fail, but it's interesting to try. I did search yesterday, but found only one or two pictures which really "speak" to me. The rest is more informative than inspiring.

---------- Post added 10-29-15 at 04:41 PM ----------

Carrying a shovel is always a good idea in case you have to move a tree or shrub. I'm not sure I'd advise carrying one around a cemetery though.

Ok, check the news closer to the end of this year. If you read about some crazy woman being caught with a shovel on historical cemetery, you know who she is.

There are two first pictures from the article I like.
http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/top-ten-italian-monumental-cemeteries

---

Last edited by micromacro; 10-29-2015 at 04:51 PM.

[Sagitta]

It really does depend on how close you can get to the stones, how they're laid out, etc.

Over the years I've taken a few, and usually I wasn't paying much attention to bokeh etc since that wasn't my primary goal for the stones.

That said, one of my best shots was purely unplanned (I was taking it to share on Facebook for family), and it was done with the lowly F 35-70mm (stopped down, to boot). This was shot at 35mm as I was trying to catch the planters in the shot, and at f/6.3.


Last winter I prowled the cemetery with my 300mm when I saw the gates open and was having fun catching shots - but I of course had to keep some distance. Bear in mind the longer the lens, the more you're going to have to hope the light behaves itself.




If I had to pick one lens only, I'd probably go for a fastish midrange zoom (something in the 35-200 range). That way you can pick your location a LOT easier and not have to worry about standing on someone's plot to get your shots in. This has two benefits - people tend to get cranky when you stand on Granddad's grave, and (especially with older cemeteries) you actually have a very good chance of having the unpleasant experience of having your foot go into the grave (or worse) if you do so.

Bear in mind you will probably be limited to shooting from the pathways.

Out of Pentax's current lineup, I would probably actually go for the 18-135mm if I had my choice, or the DA* 50-135mm if I had the budget to get it. If money wasn't an object, of course, I'm betting the D FA* 70-200mm would/will be the best Pentax lens for this type of thing.

[micromacro]

Out of Pentax's current lineup, I would probably actually go for the 18-135mm if I had my choice, or the DA* 50-135mm if I had the budget to get it. If money wasn't an object, of course, I'm betting the D FA* 70-200mm would/will be the best Pentax lens for this type of thing.

I keep forgetting about F 35-70mm, but it can be very good lens for what I want if separate the background with PS.
Of course FA* 70-200mm would be better.

[johnmflores]

There are two first pictures from the article I like.
Top Ten Italian Monumental Cemeteries | ITALY Magazine

That first shot has very little to do with depth of field and much more to do with a tight crop and composition within the frame. If you are looking for "inspiring" instead of "informative" then I think DOF control is just one tool that you have at your disposal to achieve that. Expand your toolkit to include POV, composition, and light and be ready to work at it to get what you are after. Sounds like a fun expedition!

And since others have share their cemetery/sculpture shots, here are some of mine:


Pet Cemetary at Duke Farms by John Flores, on Flickr


Sculpture Garden at Duke Farms by John Flores, on Flickr


Baby Leanne Hause Horan by John Flores, on Flickr


Detail from "The Lamentation" by John Flores, on Flickr


The Lamentation by John Flores, on Flickr


Pietá by John Flores, on Flickr

[redcat]

any lens from 1.8 will be fine, shoot wide open and keep the background far away and the background will be blur another trick, shoot one photo totally in focus, shoot another one totally out of focus (manual focus), combine the two in PS ^^

[mtux]

On the subject of background separation, based on what I have seen from others, not only here. I think the moderate wide to normal FL with wide aperture is the key! something between 24mm and 35mm with aperture as wide as needs to be. f/2 or 2.8

Take as an example photos from Na Horuk. I think the second photo which is at 28mm has the best separation. and if it was in the range of f/2 to f/4, it could be even better.

graves in park Used Pentax M 50mm f1.7, but not sure what aperture I chose. Was going for the blur effect, so probably not far from wide open. Had to crouch low to get nice perspective, straight horizontal lines Jewish Cemetery at Lendava Used M 28mm around f6-f8, not much bokeh. Did not shoot wide open because this lens does not perform as well as I want it to at that aperture Cemetery at Nova Gorica Used DA 35mm f2.4, not going for bokeh, but 35mm is already getting pretty tight Soviet soldier cemetery in Weimar, Germany - DA 35mm f2.4 again Soviet soldier cemetery, sunset - M 50mm f1.7. This one comes closest to what you mean to accomplish, but the OoF blur doesn't add very much, even though this photo was near wide open

Or take into account, photos #1 and #3 from johnmflores, with wide and normal FLs! I think if the second one was shot with wider aperture, could be as gold as you want.

The key with wider angles is getting closer and closer and open up aperture. You can't push graves back, but the very nature of wide angle will push background further back. helping you achieve what you want.

Just my $0.02

[Sagitta]

any lens from 1.8 will be fine, shoot wide open and keep the background far away and the background will be blur another trick, shoot one photo totally in focus, shoot another one totally out of focus (manual focus), combine the two in PS ^^

This is the Orton method.

Michael Orton Photography - Orton Effect

---------- Post added 10-30-15 at 08:40 AM ----------

The key with wider angles is getting closer and closer and open up aperture. You can't push graves back, but the very nature of wide angle will push background further back. helping you achieve what you want.

Just my $0.02

The issue again here though is you can't (and shouldn't) always get right up on the grave to snap that wide angle shot. By the nature of the beast, cemeteries will limit you to designated pathways many times.

I do genealogy as well, and I've heard horror stories about people prowling old cemeteries, getting up on a grave to do a rubbing or snap a shot and falling into the grave because the coffin has decayed away leaving a hollow spot underground.

With newer gravesites family might see you standing on Grandma and get more than a touch upset.

All said for safety and politeness sake, unless the graveyard is really old (ie, no risk of cheesing someone off) you're better off sticking to the pathways.

[micromacro]

any lens from 1.8 will be fine, shoot wide open and keep the background far away and the background will be blur another trick, shoot one photo totally in focus, shoot another one totally out of focus (manual focus), combine the two in PS ^^

In focus/out of focus is such a simple solution, why I did not think about it?! Daaaah! Thanks!

Actually, it does not matter any more what I will get there. It's first time ever when I thought that way: not only what lens to bring, but what I'd like to get and how to get it. Of course I have an idea what result one or another lens will deliver, but this time it's not about the lens itself, but the final in all aspects result delivered.
Now I understand the purpose of assignments in photography.

I was so glad when I got the basic control of camera, and it was fun with LBA, but suddenly it not all about that anymore. It's more about what I want. The framing will be the main challenge, not the DOF or focal range. And when I say framing, I mean everything in that frame together: light and shadows, DOF, composition, perspective.

I may be wrong but cemetery is very good challenge for it because it's not in general very pleasing place. Human eye separates the beauty of monuments from the background there instantly, but the camera just documents everything as is. So, I will call that assignment as a separation study.

[redcat]

This is the Orton method. Michael Orton Photography - Orton Effect

oh, didn't know there is name for that, I wanted a nice bokeh on my night photo a year ago and thought about this technique, not that complicated but of course some care to get a flawless final product ^^

[micromacro]

I just wonder if someone uses in camera multiply exposure function for Orton like effects.

[Sagitta]

oh, didn't know there is name for that, I wanted a nice bokeh on my night photo a year ago and thought about this technique, not that complicated but of course some care to get a flawless final product ^^

It actually dates back to the old slide film days. You'd stuff 2 or 3 slides in the same frame together to produce the effect that way.

---------- Post added 10-30-15 at 09:55 AM ----------

I just wonder if someone uses in camera multiply exposure function for Orton like effects.

I've tried it, it works, but you need to merge the shots after the fact in Lightroom or something (unless I overlooked something). If I remember right, I set the camera to bracket, and fiddled with the focus between the shots.

Its far easier to just shoot one raw image, copy it, and fiddle with that though.

[johnmflores]

It's more about what I want. The framing will be the main challenge, not the DOF or focal range. And when I say framing, I mean everything in that frame together: light and shadows, DOF, composition, perspective.

Exactly. Best of luck!