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Shooting Brenizer method portraits on medium format film to simulate a large format look

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The Brenizer method has been around for a while. In fact, it’s been around since long before it was called the “Brenizer method” – he was just the guy who made it popular so the name stuck. Essentially it’s a way to simulate the look of medium format film when shooting a small sensor camera like an APS-C or full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera.

It’s a popular and well-known technique these days, but what happens when you shoot it with medium format film? Will it look like it was shot on large format? That’s what photographer Steve Schultz wanted to find out, so he shot some with his Mamiya 645 AF medium format film camera to see what happened.

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How to simulate a medium format camera with a DSLR

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The “Brenizer method” isn’t exactly a new idea. In fact, it’s been around since before it was claimed by Ryan Brenizer. He was simply the one who made it popular. And we’ve covered it a few times before. But what is it? What does it do? And how do you do it?

Essentially, it’s a way to simulate the look of a larger format sensor than that which is contained inside your camera. It’s done by shooting several images at the same focus distance and aperture which are then stitched in post to create a wider field of view with a shallower relative depth of field. And in this video, Jamie Windsor shows us how.

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How to shoot Bokeh Panorama for animals and wildlife photography

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Bokeh Panoramas, (Bokehrama or the “Brenizer method“) are a way to simulate a large format look with small sensor cameras. In theory, the process is simple. Take a bunch of photos, then stitch them together in something like Photoshop.

What makes it different from a regular panoramic shot, is that the subject is primarily portraits with a relatively shallow depth of field. It allows you to create images you can’t otherwise get in a single shot from a DSLR. In this new video from photographer Mathieu Stern, we learn how we can apply this technique to animals and wildlife.

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Bokehrama – shallow depth of field with big photos

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As a self-taught photographer I am continuously seeking creative and technical inspiration, and when I find a technique that involves both technical know-how and demands creative juice I can’t wait to go try it myself.

When I first encountered the Bokehrama technique, sometimes referred to as the Brenizer method, I knew this is one of those instances. What finally got me out to try the technique was the arrival of the new Godox AD600 at the camera store where I work and get to test new gear. For those unfamiliar with the Godox AD600, it is a battery-contained, 600 watt, HSS (high speed sync) and TTL capable strobe with a built-in X-series radio receiver. Perfect for location shooting and ideal for this technique as I will soon explain.

So, what is the Brenizer method (coined after wedding photographer Ryan Brenizer)? Essentially, it is a way of achieving an optically impossible photo. We all know that the two fundamental elements affecting depth of field are aperture and focal length – the wider the former and the longer the latter the more shallow the depth of field will be, and “hello there, bokeh”. The tradeoff to this wonderful bokhe is a photo that incorporates very little of the location and shows narrow field of view. This can be seen as an advantage on an ugly location. But what if the location is indeed grand and beautiful, the light is perfect and a more panoramic field of view is appropriate, and you still want the subject isolating effect of a shallow depth of field? The Brenizer method allows us to achieve a wider field of view and a shallow depth of field, sometimes emulating the look of an unimaginable 14mm f/0.4 lens (as I said, optically “impossible”).

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