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Basic Photography Depth of Field Source: http://came radojo.com/2011/06/09/understa nding-depth-of-field/

Basic photography depth of field

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Page 1: Basic photography   depth of field

Basic Photography

Depth of FieldSource: http://cameradojo.com/2011/06/09/understanding-depth-of-field/

Page 2: Basic photography   depth of field

Understanding Depth of Field

0When done well, a photograph that has good control over the depth of field can add dramatically to the impact of the picture.

0When we are talking about depth of field, what we are referring to is a shot were the main subject of the picture is in sharp focus but other elements in the picture are blurred or out of focus.

Page 3: Basic photography   depth of field

Understanding Depth of FieldWhat do we mean by controlling depth of field (DoF)

0Two key terms to learn here are focal plane which is the area of the image that we want to have in sharp focus and bokeh which is the out of focus sections.

0This is the effect where the subject is in sharp focus but the rest of the image is slightly out of focus.

0The effect is referred to as bokeh. The more bokeh, the more dramatic the blurring effect.

Page 4: Basic photography   depth of field

Understanding Depth of FieldUnderstanding Aperture

0 If you have a fully automatic point and shoot then you will not be able to achieve the effect you want.

0Being able to control the depth of field is not very easy on lower end cameras as you need to be able to shoot in either an aperture priority mode or in a full manual mode.

Page 5: Basic photography   depth of field

Understanding Aperture

Diagram of decreasing aperture sizes

Page 6: Basic photography   depth of field

Understanding Aperture

0The aperture setting is the size of the opening that is used to let light into the camera and onto the sensor.

0The size of the opening is measured is F-stops.0The confusing part is that the larger the aperture

setting, the smaller the hole that will be used to take the picture

Page 7: Basic photography   depth of field

Understanding Aperture

0 The reason why lenses with a very large aperture (smaller f-stop number) are more expensive is because the lenses require more engineering and typically use better and more complicated lens elements.

0 The other side effect of getting a lens with a small f-stop number is that the smaller the f-stop, the more light will come in per image thus allowing you to shoot in lower light conditions.

0 A lens with a f/1.8 can shoot well exposed pictures in a situation that is much darker than an f/4.0 lens could shoot in.

Page 8: Basic photography   depth of field

Why Control DoF?

0The simple answer is mood.0Quite often, the background of an image may be

distracting from the subject matter, think of a bride standing in front of a wall of flowers.

0 In this case, the bride is obviously the main subject and anything else may distract from the subject, by blurring out the flowers behind the bride, you can retain some of the color and texture without the detail, adding a much more dramatic feel to the image.

Page 9: Basic photography   depth of field

Choosing Lenses

0 When choosing a new lens, once you decide once you decide the focal range you are looking for, then you go for the lens with the largest aperture (again, lowest number) that you can afford.

0 A common misconception with new photographers is that a lens labeled with a single aperture will only do that aperture.

0 The labeling denotes the maximum aperture at the listed focal length, So if you have a 70-300 f/4.0 – f/5,6, then your maximum aperture at 70mm will be f/4.0 but will shrink to f/5.6 at 300mm

0 Whereas a 70-200 f/2.8 can maintain f/2.8 throughout the entire focal range but can also go to the minimum aperture of you camera (often f/22 or lower),

Page 10: Basic photography   depth of field

Now that you have these basics down, you should be able to tell

that the faster (smaller f-stop number) the better able the lens is to shoot in darker conditions

and when used at the lens’ maximum aperture, the more

pronounced the bokeh effect will be

Page 11: Basic photography   depth of field

Source: http://cameradojo.com/201

1/06/09/understanding-depth-of-field/