Depth of Field & FOCUS

Depth of field is the part of a scene that appears acceptably sharp in a photograph

With a shallow depth of field, only a narrow band across the scene appears sharp (an F-stop like f2)

A deep depth of field results in everything appearing sharp from near to far (an F-stop like f22)

If you want two things in focus, use an f-stop like 2. If you want 22 things in focus, use a f stop like 22. Remember, sharp focus attracts the eye.

Manual Focus With manual focus, you select the part of the scene you want to be the sharpest. The nearer you are, the more important it is to focus critically. Don’t forget that shutter speed and aperture also play and important role in making objects appear sharp in the final picture. For maximum depth of field in a scene that extends to a far, don’t focus on infinity.

Automatic Focus Auto focus allows the camera to do the focusing for you, but we will only be using manual focus in this class. Don’t trust an autofocus system. They can accidently focus on something besides your subject.

Controlling Depth Of Field You can change aperture, length of your lens, or location relative to your subject to achieve the desired depth of field. Longer focal length results in less depth of field and a shorter focal length results in increased depth of field.

Controlling Depth Of Field Aperture f/16 f/2

Always read your camera manual to learn about all of the options available to you!!!! Try out all of the options. You will be surprised by all it can do.

quiz

 A) Quieter  B) Louder  C) Longer  D) Shorter 1. The _____ the focal length of the lens, the greater the depth of field.

 A) Worse  B) Better  C) Greater  D) Smaller 2. The smaller the aperture opening the _____ the depth of field.

 A) Slower  B) Faster  C) Farther  D) Nearer 3. The _____ you are, the more important it is to focus critically.

Elliott Erwitt