Photo Lesson: Depth of Field
It's not the violin, it's the violinist.
-Unknown source
However, the violin is plenty important too. Think "Stradivarius"! With almost everybody carrying a cell phone camera these days, the impression is that anyone can take a terrific photograph with any camera. Certainly that's what the manufacturers promote. But here are a few important things to keep in mind:
1. Owning a high-end camera offers the shooter more CONTROL over the resulting image. He/she can visualize a particular result, then use the camera's features to achieve the desired results. But only if he/she knows how to use them! So...
2. To get really great images, the photographer has to study the principles of photography. To truly understand them. To practice them over and over.
3. The amateur, armed with a cell phone camera, CAN occasionally stumble on to a very nice image, out of a big batch. But one goal of studying photography is to greatly increase the success rate. MOST of a professional photographer's images are successful. And MANY of them are terrific.
This reminds me of another saying:
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
- Unknown source
Who wants to be the blind squirrel? Nobody! So here is a short primer on depth of field (DOF) for any shooter who wants to control the result more, to make MORE, STRONGER images:
DOF refers to how quickly and how much the details in front of and behind the main subject go out of focus. A short DOF is typically used much more in portrait photography than landscape photography (although I love a shallow DOF in extreme close-up flower photography).
Used correctly, shallow depth of field can:
1. Focus the viewer's eye on the most important part of the image.
2. Create a more sophisticated mood.
3. Can isolate and draw attention to a specific subject in a busy or crowded environment.
Here are four ways to achieve a shallower DOF:
1. Use a bigger aperture opening on your lens (ironically, that's a smaller f-stop number). Consider shooting in aperture-priority mode with a big aperture.
2. Use a "longer" lens. Instead of a "standard" 50mm lens, consider 100mm or 200 mm.
3. Get closer to your subject. CLOSER!
4. Move your subject farther away from objects in the background.
Well, that's a start. There are tons of helpful internet articles about DOF. Read all you can. Study strong images. Shoot... a lot! Experiment. Play. Fail. Succeed! Learn!!!!
-Unknown source
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1. Owning a high-end camera offers the shooter more CONTROL over the resulting image. He/she can visualize a particular result, then use the camera's features to achieve the desired results. But only if he/she knows how to use them! So...
2. To get really great images, the photographer has to study the principles of photography. To truly understand them. To practice them over and over.
3. The amateur, armed with a cell phone camera, CAN occasionally stumble on to a very nice image, out of a big batch. But one goal of studying photography is to greatly increase the success rate. MOST of a professional photographer's images are successful. And MANY of them are terrific.
This reminds me of another saying:
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
- Unknown source
DOF refers to how quickly and how much the details in front of and behind the main subject go out of focus. A short DOF is typically used much more in portrait photography than landscape photography (although I love a shallow DOF in extreme close-up flower photography).
Used correctly, shallow depth of field can:
1. Focus the viewer's eye on the most important part of the image.
2. Create a more sophisticated mood.
3. Can isolate and draw attention to a specific subject in a busy or crowded environment.
Here are four ways to achieve a shallower DOF:1. Use a bigger aperture opening on your lens (ironically, that's a smaller f-stop number). Consider shooting in aperture-priority mode with a big aperture.
2. Use a "longer" lens. Instead of a "standard" 50mm lens, consider 100mm or 200 mm.
3. Get closer to your subject. CLOSER!
4. Move your subject farther away from objects in the background.
Well, that's a start. There are tons of helpful internet articles about DOF. Read all you can. Study strong images. Shoot... a lot! Experiment. Play. Fail. Succeed! Learn!!!!
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