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The Depth of FIELD
So…. What is Depth of Field (DoF)
You may well have read on the Internet, or in book, about the term, Depth of Field – shortened to DoF. But do you know what the term really means? I will try to explain what depth of field is and how to use it to best effect.
Explaining DoF
The image to the left really says it all. The portion in sharp clear focus is the actual depth of field. In this example we would say a “shallow Dof” i.e. the foreground and background are not sharp and clear, but still visible. Put simply they are out of focus.
A large Dof would be used to capture detail and sharpness throughout the entire image – such as landscapes or larger detailed scenes.
To get technical Depth of Field is a product determined by the subject distance, the focal length of the lens, and the lens f-number (aperture – the hole letting light in). But that is boring.
In practicle terms getting close to the subject with a small f-number (large hole letting in the light) with the background as far away as possible will give you a shallow depth of field allowing you to make a particular part of the image stand out in sharp focus, with the fore and background fading away, framing the subject. For those lovely sharp deep focus images, like landscapes you want a larger f-number (small hole letting in light) a steady hand (tripod) and a beautiful scene to capture with you camera.
A word of warning here….. do not go mad and use the largest number you can dial in, coz you can get other factors effecting the sharpness, so chose a middle of the road number and learn where your camera and lens produce the sharpest images. Shooting lots of images and find the optimum settings for your camera is something you will have to trial……………………….
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Cornwall Photography Solutions - Photographs for sale, inspiration and by your design.
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