Depth of Field

Depth of field is the portion of your image that is in focus. The field is the distance in front and behind your subject that is acceptably sharp and in focus and one of the most creative tools you can use as a photographer.

In the picture below the truck in the middle is the only thing sharp and in focus, inside the depth of field. Everything else, in front and behind, is outside the depth of field.

Example of Depth Of Field

The picture below shows the visual representation of the depth of field from the picture above.

Most photography beginners believe this is something complicated to understand and difficult to control. My hope is that after reading this entry you will have a better understanding as to how it works and that you will be able to apply it to your photographs.

A shallow depth of field is when your subject is in focus but the background is out of focus. Since our photographs are two dimensional, this is a way to create a three dimensional feel because you can see the subject forward in the image. You may have seen this effect in portrait photography.  Our eyes are naturally drawn to the sharpest objects when looking at an image. With this effect you are removing all distractions in the background, guiding your viewer's eyes to your subject. You let the viewer know what you, as the photographer, consider to be the main point of interest.

A deep depth of field, normally used when photographing landscapes, is when everything in the image, from the foreground to the background is in focus.

What influences depth of field in an image

The depth of field is influenced by three factors: Aperture, focal length and the distance you are from your subject. Lets look at each one of these closer.

Aperture

Having a large aperture (small f-stop value) will have an impact on depth of field. The smallest f-stop value you can set in your camera is determined by the lens you are using. You can set the aperture value in your camera using either Aperture Priority Mode (Av on Canon, A on Nikon) or Manual mode. Don't be afraid to venture into these modes. They will make your pictures look better. For more information on aperture check out my entry on the exposure triangle here.

Here is an example of photographs taken with a large aperture at f/2.8 and another one taken at f/11. As you can see all distractions have been remove in the one taken at f/2.8, while the one shot at f/11 is very distracting with everything in focus. The beach was just as crowded in the second picture. To learn more on aperture read my entry on exposure basics here.

F/11 - Small aperture

F/2.8 - Large aperture

Focal length

You can create a shallow depth of field with a longer focal length, such as the ones used in a telephoto lens. A telephoto lens compresses the background making your subject stand out from the background. Wide angle lenses expand the depth of an image creating a deep depth of field so it will be more difficult to create a shallow depth of field with a wide angle lens. To do so, you would need to stand very close to your subject. This is why wide angle lenses are most often used for landscapes, when you want everything in the image to be sharp and in focus.

Below are two photographs taken from the same distance of 10 feet. One using a wide angle focal length of 24mm and the other using a focal length of 70mm. You can see the distracting background in the picture shot at 24mm, showing a deep depth of field.
 

24mm

Below a more shallow depth of field using a 70mm focal length. As you can see the distractions in the background have been removed. After the about half the neck everything becomes blurry.

70mm

Distance from your subject

Your physical distance will have an impact on the depth of field. The closer you stand to your subject, the shallower the depth of field. Take a look at the following images for example.

Below are two photographs were the same camera settings were used,  aperture of f/5.6, focal length of 50mm and ISO set to 200. The only difference is that on was taken 10 feet away and the other from 3 feet away. As you can see the one shot from 3 feet away removes most of the distractions with a blurred background. Your eyes automatically focuses on the flower because it is the sharpest object in the frame.

10 feet away from flower, f/5.6, 50mm, ISO 200

3 feet away from flower, f/5.6, 50mm, ISO 200

Recommendations

1. When photographing people and want to create a shallow depth of field, use a wide aperture. Also make sure you focus on the eyes. If the eyes are blurred the picture will be no good. 
2. When photographing landscapes and want everything in focus, use a high aperture value of f/8 or f/11. These are values where your lens will be most sharper.

Photography Exposure Basics

Most beginners take pictures by selecting the creative modes on their cameras but few ever venture into any of the other modes like Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual mode, perhaps based on fear.

Hopefully the following entry will help simplify things, remove that fear and help you in learning how to shot your camera in manual mode. You will need to know how to set your camera's ISO, shutter speed and aperture settings to do this and in doing so you will get better pictures.

The Exposure Triangle

Every picture you create requires an exposure that consists of three different adjustment settings, the ISO, shutter speed and aperture. These three things make up the Exposure Triangle. Adjusting one will have an impact on the other two.

What is White Balance?

The term "white balance", in fact, refers to color balance. Balancing the colors in your image will allow them to be represented accurately. The process of creating white or color balance is a simple adjustment that requires very little time and leads you to a better image.

The picture on the left uses automatic white balance (AWB). The camera made the picture too blue because it was not able to determine the light source. This picture was actually taken indoors under tungsten light. The image on the right had the white balance setting set to Tungsten. As you can see, the colors have been adjusted to be accurate.

The Subject in Your Composition

Photography is an art form and therefore can be interpreted in many different ways. Your goal is to make it pleasing to your eye. To get there, ask yourself these questions: Who or what is your subject? What captured my attention? Is this the best angle? How can I make this look more interesting?

Defining Your Subject

"If you want your pictures to be better, stand in front of more interesting stuff." - Joe McNally a National Geographic photographer.

Understand that photography is about capturing light. In a broad sense, light is your subject. No one shoots dark. If you do, remove the lens cap. What you need to be able to do is describe what your subject is. If you photograph an old lady walking down the street, consider the details that will be reflected in the image. Is the subject the old lady? Is it the way her hair and the way light is making it look in a particular way? Is it what she is wearing? Your photograph will also be telling a story that will make the viewer think. Is she walking in the morning or evening? What are her surroundings? Where is she going? If she is smiling, why is she smiling?

How To Become A Better Photographer (Part 2): The Rule of Thirds

One of the better known rules of photographic composition is the Rule of Thirds. It is one of the first rules I learned when I was getting serious about photography because I wanted to be able to take better looking pictures. If you practice and master this rule, you will be taking better pictures in no time as you will have a more balanced composition. Of course, remember that this rule can be broken, just know when you are.

The rule of thirds is a guideline on how you, as a photographer, should visualize the image. It helps you compose it in a way that draws in your viewer to the areas and elements in your picture. You are to divide the image into nine equal parts with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. It is in these lines and or where they intersect, that you need to align the most important elements in your composition.

How To Become A Better Photographer (Part 1)

There is one secret to becoming a better photographer. Here it is... practice. There is no other way.
The good thing is that practicing can be fun and you dont have to leave your home. The question is, How do you practice? What do you take pictures of?

During the next couple of blog entries I will be discussing basic elements of composition. Composition simply put, is how to choose what you will shoot and how to arrange it, at which angle, and so on. Its arranging the elements in your picture so that it tells the story you want people to see. Your game plan for your shot. All good pictures begin with good composition but you have to learn what to look for. These basic elements are only guidelines and can be broken depending on what you intend to do.

The first composition element I will discuss is Patterns. Patterns such as those shown in the images below are all around us and the more you look, the more you will be able to recognize them.

This picture above is a bench in a city trolley taken on a nice day to sight-see. Remember that the best camera to practice is the one that you have with you. Your expensive DSLR does you no good if it is home. Luckily, we live in a world where there is a camera in every pocket... like the one in your smart phone.