| At some point all beginning photographers are | | | | switching your mode to Aperture Priority mode - |
| confronted with certain technical aspects of | | | | or AV mode. |
| photography that have them either burning up | | | | While I will not give a detailed explanation about |
| rolls of film, or loading up memory cards! Two in | | | | aperture in this article - the simplest way to |
| particular: Exposure (which will be addressed in a | | | | understand is this: An F-stop is the adjustable |
| different article) and Depth of Field (or DOF) leave | | | | opening that controls how much light coming |
| the newly shutterbug bitten novice shaking their | | | | through your lens hits the film or digital sensor. |
| head, wondering what they are doing wrong. | | | | The shutter speed is involved with this as well, |
| When I first started taking on an informal | | | | but for now let's stick with aperture. The F-stop |
| teaching role with beginning photographers it was | | | | also controls the DOF of an image. |
| interesting that the single most common question | | | | Older SLR camera lenses typically have the |
| asked by them was: "How do I make the | | | | F-stop numbers on the lens barrel. An older very |
| background blurry and my subject sharp?" and of | | | | basic lens may have numbers around the |
| course, "what do I need to do when I want | | | | aperture ring like: 2.8 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22. |
| everything in focus?" | | | | These are the F-stops, or the aperture opening |
| It's inevitable. If you desire to take your | | | | settings. |
| photography to a higher level of quality, you will | | | | More modern cameras are electronic and the |
| need to understand what causes short and long | | | | F-stops are usually seen at the bottom of the |
| depths of field, and especially how to manipulate it | | | | viewfinder. Contemporary lenses usually have |
| to express your vision. Let's get started... | | | | more F-stop settings available, such as: 2.8 - 3.5 - |
| First - what is a photograph with a short Depth of | | | | 5.6 - 6.3 - 7.1 - 8 - and so forth, possibly all the |
| Field, and what is one with a long DOF? Quite | | | | way up to 32. |
| simply, a photograph with only the subject in | | | | To choose the DOF you wish to use for a |
| focus, and everything before and behind it blurry, | | | | particular shot you need to understand this very |
| is a photograph with a short DOF. An image with | | | | basic concept: The lower the F-stop number - |
| everything in the foreground to the background | | | | such as 2.8, the shorter your DOF will be. The |
| sharp and in focus has a long DOF. With this highly | | | | higher the F-stop number - 22, the longer the |
| sophisticated formula I'm sure you can figure out | | | | depth of field. To simplify it further - making a |
| what a medium DOF is! | | | | photograph with F22 or higher is going to have |
| Why use a short DOF? When you reach this level | | | | everything in the final image in focus. Shooting |
| of being able to control exactly what you want in | | | | with the aperture set at 2.8 is going to mean that |
| focus (typically referred to as Selective Focus) in | | | | only what you specifically focused on is going to |
| your photograph you will have developed a | | | | sharp. |
| dynamic tool that will create powerful | | | | Take a moment to absorb this because this basic |
| photographs! You will see this used extensively in | | | | concept is the nuts and bolts of creating a quality |
| photojournalism - such as the photographer | | | | photograph, rather than just taking a picture. The |
| focusing on one particular individual in a crowd of | | | | very best exercise you can do to practice this |
| people. Creative use of this tool certainly gives | | | | technique is to line up 3 objects - such as apples. |
| sustenance to the term: A picture paints a | | | | Place them on a table about 2' apart lined up going |
| thousand words! | | | | away from you at just enough of an angle so the |
| Quite often you will see the use of a short DOF | | | | first one isn't blocking the other two. Place your |
| in glamour portraiture. A classic example is when | | | | camera about 3' from the first one, and focus on |
| you see the model's eye closest to the lens | | | | the apple in the middle. Shoot several shots - |
| sharply focused, and the one furthest is blurred. | | | | each one at a different f-stop, starting with the |
| It's one of the most unique techniques a | | | | lowest number (short DOF) and changing to the |
| photographer can utilize to convey her or his | | | | next higher f-stop after each shot...all the way to |
| message. | | | | the highest F-stop. |
| What about a long DOF? Landscape photography | | | | If your lens has an F-stop number as low as 2.8 |
| is the best example of the long Depth of Field in | | | | you will see that maybe only the forward surface |
| use. Shooting images of seemingly endless vistas | | | | of the apple is in focus - everything from closest |
| would render a photograph worthless if only a | | | | to furthest is gradually very blurry. With each |
| small portion of the 'field' was in focus. Since you | | | | shot changed to a higher F-stop number you will |
| want virtually everything from closest to farthest | | | | see more of the field in focus. By the time you |
| tack sharp - you will want to shoot with a long | | | | get to the highest F-stop setting, virtually |
| DOF. You can see this utilized with incredible | | | | everything in the photo will be sharp and focused. |
| results in the works of the greatest fine art | | | | Most SLR cameras have a DOF Preview Button. |
| photographers such as Ansel Adams and Edward | | | | If you use it while looking through the lens at |
| Weston. But even when making photographs of | | | | your scene - you will see what the final image will |
| spectacular scenes, there will be times when your | | | | look like. Only problem is - the higher the F-stop |
| creative vision will want to focus attention on a | | | | number is, the smaller the amount of light is let in. |
| tiny, fragile flower amidst nature's grandest | | | | So it can be very difficult to see because it will be |
| formations. Developing these techniques will arm | | | | very dark. After practicing with these techniques |
| you with that kind of photographic versatility. | | | | you will not bother with the DOF preview button. |
| So now that you understand what DOF is, how | | | | You will know how the image will be reproduced. |
| do you make it work? This is where we begin to | | | | That is the mystery of Depth of Field in a nutshell! |
| get a bit technical, but it's important you | | | | Yes, there is more in-depth aspects of DOF - |
| understand it. Since DOF will vary depending on | | | | such as understanding Hyper Focal Distance, and |
| the focal length lens you are using, my examples | | | | of course knowing that you will get different DOF |
| will be in regards to using a normal SLR lens in the | | | | results with longer and shorter focal length lenses. |
| 45mm - 70mm range. To be able to manipulate | | | | But understanding these basic DOF concepts will |
| DOF you must be able to adjust the aperture (or | | | | revolutionize your photography, and give you one |
| F-stops) on your camera. Most all SLR cameras | | | | more step up in photographic quality. |
| that are even remotely modern can do this by | | | | |