My passport is about to expire and I want to renew it online using a portrait shot with my A300.

...problem is, I live alone and have no one to press the shutter for me!

I have never mastered the camera since I bought it but I have set it up on a tripod, and I'm trying to get an acceptable result.

Tthe program set to Portrait with the 18-70mm Sony lens set to 70mm and the focus set to manual using the AF/MF slide switch.

I have activated the 10 second shutter delay and whilst the camera does give me time to get in shot, it does not blur the background at all.

How can I set up the shot to achieve a clear (but not harsh) focus on my face whilst the background is blurred to the max?

Thanks.