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@ernestf-lloyd
Hi Ernest! (I think this is one of your first posts, so welcome to Lenspiration!)
It is possible to do what you’re thinking, as I’ve seen it done before even with a group.
You’ll need to take control of your DSLR a bit to make this happen, though.
Try to remember the three “rules” of creating the blurred background, or “bokeh”.
1. Wide aperture. Put your camera into Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av mode), and pick a low F/number (the lower the number, the wider the aperture [the hole the light comes in through on the lens]). For an individual portrait, as wide as you have is typically good (2.8 or 3.2). For groups, however, you need to be a bit more careful. If you have two different rows of people, the area of ground that is in focus might be too small. Your camera might make the back row of people be out of focus if your aperture is too wide! Pick a number around f/5.0 or f/5.6 to try and avoid this problem.
2. Longish focal length.
This is the same for both individuals and group shots. You want to have a long(ish) focal length as wide-angle lenses don’t blur the background very much. This means you’ll want to zoom in to about 55mm and take quite a few steps back. It’s okay if you’re twenty feet away from your group!
3. Distance between your subject and the background.
The further your subject(s) are away from the background, the better.
Hope this helps, and good luck! From looking at your bio, it looks like you just got your first DSLR. If anything doesn’t make sense, just ask and I’ll be happy to explain further.
—Logan
@loganlamar