WHAT IS DEPTH -OF -FIELD? 

 

 

                   “Depth Of Field  is the zone of sharpness in your image”. This is the simplest definition of DOF.  

HOW TO GET DESIRED DOF?           

 There are different situation in photography when you need different DOF. Some time you need pin sharp images from top to bottom and at others you want to single out the main subject from the background. All that can be achieved by just one adjustment on your DSL. As a rule i.e by changing aperture size,  DOF changes.

 As a rule when you tighten the aperture depth of field would increase and as you open it DOF will decrease. Another point is when you increase the f value for your lens it tightens the aperture and when you decrease the f value then aperture opens up. So at f32, aperture is in its tightest condition with maximum DOF and at f2 at most open with minimum DOF.    

 

DEPTH OF FIELD IN LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Landscapes photography needs full depth of field especially in the sweeping landscapes which are having interesting elements both in top and bottom. For example you a landscape with flowers or stones in the foreground and a peak at distant needs a pin sharp image throughout. The technique to achieve that is to tighten the aperture up to f/16 or even f22. Use of tripod is must because a tight aperture will reduce the shutter speed and there is a chance of camera shake. Wide angle lenses have more depth of field than the tele- zooms, so use a wide angle lens for landscape photography like that.  

 

 

 

DEPTH OF FIELD IN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY  

Those portraits are considered excellent in which your subject is standout from the background. To throw the subject out of focus you need to do is a reverse than landscape. Open up the aperture to its maximum. Cheaper lenses have maximum aperture of f/ 2.8. Sometime f/4 also works nicely.  Costly lenses have wider aperture and give more shallow depth of field so more dramatic portraits. One thing must keep in mind that always try to focus eyes of the subject while shooting portraits.

 

 

 

DEPTH OF FIELD IN MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

Macro lenses by default have shallow depth of field as they can focus at very minute distances. In maximum situations you need a clean and less messy background to show your subject in full details. Some time you want show only the mouth parts of an insect. In these conditions use a wider aperture. In case you need to show the bristles on the body of an insect and you want whole butterfly should be sharp then use a tight aperture and try to keep the subject away from messy background. 

 

 

 

HOW TO KNOW THE DEPTH OF FIELD AT EACH APERTURE.

 Almost every DSLR have a” depth- of- field -preview “button. There are some charts and tables showing depth of field  DOF at each step for different focal length lenses with each aperture reading for different focal length lenses.  You can consult these charts or can use DOF button to get required area sharp.