When Your Depth Of Field is in a Circle Of Confusion

I have recently read a few articles and guides that cover the depth of field (DOF) in photography, either about what it is or its application.  Initially I made cut and paste notes of those articles and was going to put together my own article based on those C+P words but I kind of figured ‘isn’t it better to do my own?’  After all most guide lines lead us to be confused in one way or another.
First what is depth of field?

To cut the tech out so things get quickly understood - here are two images, the first has an extreme depth of field and the second has a shallow depth of field.

As can be easily seen in the above images the extreme depth of field covers the whole scene and everything is in detail, whilst on the other hand a shallow depth of field covers a specific point with the rest of the scene blurred or obscured.  Though the first image carried more information, the second image has more interest to the eye and thus more “art” impact to the viewer.

Deep or extreme depths of field are usually used in landscapes photography but are also used in street photography and photojournalism where more information can relay a greater story or a more solid and detailed scene.

The shallow depth of field on the other hand is usually used in portraiture and still life photography, but these are not set rules rather rhythms that most photographers apply.

SO NOW YOU’VE CHATTED TOO MUCH…HOW DO CONTROL THE “DOF”

It’s a very simple procedure.  On any standard DSLR camera the best way to get a greater depth of field is to use a higher number aperture setting such as f16 and higher, the focal distance set to exact midpoint and a low ISO sensitivity (100 or less, 50 is better).  For a shallow DOF set the aperture to the lowest number setting such as f3.5 or lower, set the focal distance on the target subject and have a more sensitive ISO setting of 400.

What you can do to practice this, before going out, is to take several objects of equal size and place them on a line at equal distances from the camera lens.  Play around with the settings especially the f-numbers and the shutter speed.  Once you can do what has been presented in the two images above then you are ready to “go-live” and experiment out and about with the same thing.

Practice street portraiture by asking passersby if you can photograph them.  They will be curious to ask why, don’t be shy and explain what it is you are doing and always show them the results.  If you get bad feedback, walk on, there are plenty of people in this world.  Try to photograph them with 50% of the scene sharp in the background and then the same with the scene blurred like a photographic canvass backdrop.  You’ll be amazed at the results.  If people are not your thing then try with low to the ground objects like fire hydrants and post boxes etc.

Whatever you do, have fun.  It is advisable to walk around with business cards with your details and your website or photo gallery url printed on them, that way the people you interact with get to interact with you as well enjoy what you do.  It all makes for a friendlier world after all.

Any questions on this topic then email me at admin@photospeye.com and I will try to get you your answers.

SP