We spend a lot of time as photographers trying to get our images in focus. When an image comes out blurry, we hit the delete button so fast that we barely look at the composition. But not all images need to be sharp from front to back. Sometimes, an image is more beautiful if some parts of it are softly out-of-focus. An image can have impact if the focus is “shallow”. In this article, I’ll let you in on the secrets of shallow depth of field (DoF). I’ll help you achieve the look and give you ideas on when to
Tag: field
How to Control Depth of Field
It’s a common misconception that the f-stop you use will control depth of field (DOF). Aperture setting certainly has an influence, but there are other factors to consider. DOF is the area in a photograph which is acceptably sharp. Lenses can only focus at a single point. There is always a certain amount in front and behind the focus point which is acceptably sharp. This varies depending on: Aperture setting Lens focal length Camera distance to the subject Sensor size. The transition between what’s sharp and what’s not is gradual. It’s important to learn how to manage the variables to
