![]() Landscapes tend to use very high f-numbers so that the almost the entire scene remains sharp. Objects don’t have to be very close to the original focal point in order to remain sharp-so that back row in the group photo is much clearer at f/11 than at f/2.8. (If you have a hard time remembering, just think narrow aperture = narrow depth of field.) Settings like f/8 and f/11 will leave much more of the image in focus. That’s why, in portrait photography, it’s important to focus on the eyes-otherwise if the focus point is on the nose, the face may not be in focus with such a shallow depth of field.Ī narrow aperture, or a high f-stop number, results in a narrow depth of field. ![]() At these wide apertures, an object needs to be very close to the original focus point in order to be sharp. ![]() ![]() Aperture settings like f1.8, and f2.8 let a lot of light into the image, but they also result in that unfocused background. But aperture also plays a big role in the depth of field.Ī wide aperture, or a low f-stop number, results in a shallow depth of field. Remember aperture is the size of the opening in the lens-a larger opening lets in more light and vice versa. Aperture**Īperture is the most well-known way to adjust depth of field, and also probably the easiest method. But how do you adjust the depth of field? There’s actually more than one way to adjust the depth of field (plus another factor that’s set when you choose which camera to shoot with). So, the depth of field determines how much of the image is in focus. Landscapes use a narrow depth of field to show more of the scene, and group portraits should use a narrow depth of field to prevent the back row from being out of focus. Portraits commonly use a shallow depth of field, because that unfocused quality eliminates anything distracting from the background and draws more attention to the subject.Ī narrow depth of field means that a large portion of the image is sharply focused, even for objects that are a little ways from the focal point. But what about the object that’s, say an inch behind it? Or a foot behind it? Depending on your camera settings and lens type, the depth of field may be just millimeters, or a few dozen feet.Ī shallow depth of field means that only a small portion of the image is sharply focused, while the background (and often foreground) are unfocused. When you focus on an object, that object is sharply focused. What is Depth of Field?ĭepth of field is the range of distances that appears in focus. Those soft backgrounds in portraits? Or those crisp, almost completely-focused landscapes? Those are achieved through depth of field, but there’s actually more than one way to adjust the depth of field in any given image.Ĭurious? Here’s what you need to know to understand depth of field. While either the autofocus or the manual focus determines what is in focus, it doesn’t determine _how much is in focus-_that’s where depth of field comes in. I still remember that sinking feeling, and then the wondering, what did I do wrong? I remember taking a group photo as a budding new photographer, then excitedly loading the images on to my computer only to discover that the people in the back rows were completely out of focus.
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