John Black Offline Upload & Sell: On
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Paul - Some things to consider when try to hedge your bets for the "3D look" -
1) Background is important - both in content and distance. I think the background provides context. People know rocks are sharp, the rocks above aren't sharp. thus the Christina looks sharper in contrast (relative sharpness). Your picture above had the right mix.
2) Subject needs to be sharp. The subject needs a sharp edge against the blurred background. If the subject is OOF'd, then there isn't a crisp line/edge separating the subject from the background. I'm not saying this is a hard-fast rule, but in the case of the C/Y 100/2 it works for me.
3) Adequate DOF. F2 is not a must. Many of my shots are F4 to F5.6. I'm looking for backgrounds far enough way from the subject so I don't have to shoot F2 or F2.8. By shooting F4 to F5.6 I guarantee there's plenty of DOF to "wrap the subject", thus getting those sharp edges.
4) Lighting from the side. This seems to help in giving the subject a roundness - a sense of volume. This probably isn't as critical as some of the points above, but it helps.
5) Post processing! The above picture had its levels tinkered with and the plane of focus was selected (drawing an outline with the freehand selection tool and feathering it) and sharpened with USM.
Here's your picture with a quick levels edit (pulling down mid-tones), sharpening the edge of the person and amp'ing up some saturation. I did sharpen the edges more than usual because the image seemed like it had motion blur or maybe some front focus.
http://www.pebbleplacephotography.com/FM/Paul_Edit.jpg
I'm not saying the above bullets are a guarantee, just some ways to improve the odds in your favor. I think the 3D effect is very dependent on lighting and background. Some lenses capitalize on those conditions better than others. After awhile you get an idea of which settings might net the look.
In regards to the C/Y 100/2 - try shooting F4 most of the time. F2 has really thin DOF and the keeper rate will reflect that. I'm really bad about this - I've got an F2 lens and.. damn it... I'll shoot F2. When I shoot F4 the keeper rate goes way up and on the whole I'm happier with the results because the DOF is more realistic. Also the 100/2 captures a wealth of a micro contrast - manipulating levels is like proverbial treasure chest of editing gold.
BTW - I'll take down your picture upon request. I just wanted to show that the elements were there.
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