Depth of Field

sha

Depth of field is a term that describes how much of the scene in an image will be in focus. It can also be

referred

to as a zone of sharpness. The depth of field in an image is referred to as being "

Shallow Depth of

Field

" or "

ide Depth of Field

An example of

hallow

depth of field in a picture would be when the subject is

in focus

and

parts

of the

background or foreground are

out of focus

. This effect can be obtained by using large aperture openings

(also known as F stops)

F2.8 or F4. (see image #1).

On the other hand, a picture where the subject is in focus and

much more

of the background and foreground

are

pretty much in focus, would be considered as one with "wide" depth of field. To obtain this effect, small

aperture

openings

(or F stops)

such as F11 or f16

ight

be used. (see image #2)

To see a list of various

aperture settings,

and for more detai

ed information, check the tutorial,

the Aperture

Using your camera in its Aperture Priority mode is the easiest way to control the depth of field in an image.

Just

set your camera aperture opening to a wide setting for

shallow

depth of field

a smaller

opening for

wider depth of field. The camera will automatically adjust the shutter speeds (and ISO if necessary) to produce

an acceptable exposure

If you prefer to set all the exposure settings yourself, just use your camera's manual mode and set the

cameras'

Aperture, Shutter, and ISO separately. Please check

our

tutorial,

Camera Exposure Basic

for more

information on changing or setting the

camera

Aperture and

hutter to obtain the "proper" exposure.

Another factor that affects depth of field is the focal length of the lens you are using. A 28mm lens with the

aperture set at f5.6 will yield a wider depth of field area than a 200mm lens with the same f5.6 aperture

setting. In

other words, the longer the focal length of the lens, the

ore shallow

the depth of field.

The last factor that affects depth of field (but not as much) is the distance between the lens and the subject.

The

closer the subject is to the lens, the more

hallow

the depth of field will be. The more distance there is

between the

subject and the lens, the wider the depth of field will be.

Easy Basic Photography

Depth of Field

Depth of Field image #1 Depth of Field Image #2

Digital Compact Camera Users: You wont be able to manually change your aperture settings unless
you have certain Bridge Type Digital C ompact cameras. However, using your camera in a mode such as
portrait will open the aperture to a wider setting for shallow depth of field. Setting your camera to a beach
or snow mode will close the aperture to a smaller setting which will give you wider depth of field.
Digital Compact Reflex Camera Users: All of the following information applies to using your camera.