@ludwigsdiana Thank you so much, Diana. I use aperture priority (I'm a long way from being able to shoot in manual). For these kind of shots, I usually use my zoom lens at 200 (its maximum) and my aperture at it's most shallow dof (6.3). (I wish I had a lens that went lower...in the future :) Thank you for asking. I like how we can all help each other.
@365projectorgheatherb thanks Heather, i just love to learn as I try manual sometimes, but do not get the results I am hoping for. I should maybe use my zoom lens for shots lke these and not the 50mm :-)