Wow, this week’s photo challenge was a popular one, take a look at the photos submitted to our Shallow or Narrow Depth of Field photo challenge. Tell us which photo you like best and why in the comments, and scroll down to the bottom to find out what the next photo challenge is.
This photograph is from my visit to Nepal. Photo by Fatema Mustafa Alitook this photo while riding a bus in Cambodia. This woman sitting in front of me slipped her hands above her head to rest atop her chair. I was mesmerized by her age worn hands and her contrasting gold wedding ring. Not the lowest aperture I could've used but I am pretty happy with the depth of field I achieved. Shutter Speed:1/80 second Aperture:F/4.5 Focal Length:70 mm ISO Speed:400. Photo by York SylvesteDewy blades of grass which I took early this morning. Focal Length - 5.1mm, f/2.8, 1/800s. Photo by Imelda SantorePentax K-r - 50mm @ f/2 - 1/6000s - ISO 200 Photo by Kieron DicksonSipping Gold - A shot of chilled Fireball Whiskey on a Friday evening. Photo by Aaditi Dutt.
Spotted this bird on a roof looking at me… Photo by Ronald ManagbanagDust and city lights Canary Islands-2012. Photo by Christian LageEgyption Pound. Photo by beshoy badryA woodpecker on a bird feeder, Pentax K-5 w Sigma 18-200. Photo by Peter Frisk HansenMy beautiful boy chasing bubbles. Taken with the Sony A65. Photo by Jo GubPhoto by Francisco CampanoneMessage to the world. Photo by Kitz EismaSwift Sparrow. Photo by Ramesh MohanThis photo is of my girlfriend taken in Garden of Dreams (Kaiser Mahal) in Kathmandu. Photo by Vinay SharmaI took this picture in the Theodore Roosevelt Island Memorial in Virginia. The camera is a fuji x100. Photo by Adriana Gómez.Sound of the Fender guitar can be hypnotic. Photo by Michelle EricsonThe attached photo is of a purple iris taken with a shallow depth of field using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel 18.0 - 55.0mm at f/4.5. Photo by Jasmin SanchezPhotos are taken by Nikon D5100 - AF-S VR DX 18-55mm. Photo by Shoaib Awais ChoudharyThis photo was taken at the Niagara Glen, a climbing area near Niagara Falls. You can see the blurred image of a climber in the background. Photo by Aaron Eden.Shot with a Nikon D7000 and a 50mm 1.8 D lens at f/2.5. Photo by Bambit Gaerlan.Red ant colony's highway. Photo by Panji NushantaraToad Portrait. Photo by Julian SchroederPhoto by Jonathan CollazoPhoto by Omar TorresPhoto by Dante GranadoChildren of Peace. Photo by Ian LynSurvival of the Nearest. Photo by Shival SharmaPhoto by Lorenz HenggelerA picture of a dragonfly, shot using Sony DSC-W55, A small P&S camera under natural light. Photo by Paul JohnYou go out for a hike and notice that all the classic large open areas don't exist where you decided to camp. So of course it's time to get a closer look at things. Photo by Alex BlagusThis photo was taken with a Nikon D80 at an f/5.6 aperture and processed with Photoshop Elements 10. This is my cousin's dog Mickey. Photo by Stephen MihopulosWhile sitting on a park bench looking through the lens at potential shots, I zoomed in on this branch, when I focused on the leaves I was pleased to see the background disappear, so just had to capture the shot. I simply call it “Autumn”. Photo by PaulTesting my new manual Vintage Minolta Rokkor-X MC 50mm F/1.4 Camera Lens on my Nikon D90. Low light condition. Photo by Mourad DACHRAOUI."Worlds Apart" This shot was taken at Canary Wharf next to Canada Tower (2nd tallest building in Europe). The area is iconic as the heart beat for London's financial district. The photo hopefully demonstrates two worlds: 1. The hard and cold world of business and finance, where things at the moment are rarely in focus and clear cut. 2. The colourful and organic world of flowers and plants, where things are balanced, vibrant and more in focus. I think the lady's face as she walks by with her headphones plugged in adds a nice sobering touch to the divide. Photo by Ed NeumannPicture with a shallow depth of field taken with a nikon d7000 and a nikon 85mm 1.4 af-s. Photo by Espen HøydalsvikPhoto by UrszulaI just went into the garden and shot some photos with my 25-year-old 50mm lens on my Pentax K-r. It has a brilliant light sensitivity and creates a great DOF. I chose to go with this picture of a rhododendron flower. Photo by Robbert Vervuurt.Photo by ArunIn this shot, the settings were made to shorten the depth of field to heads of the bulls. The rest of the body is blurred due to very narrow depth of field. Photo by Uttam Saxena.Photo by Francisco ReisLife is about to focus on key things rather than all. Photo by kunal KothariPhoto by Girish JainThis was taken last Friday afternoon when my son noticed the snake sunning himself in the bushes in front of our bay window. Photo by James RuleI present you one of my garden elfs. The photo was taken with a Nikon D90 using a Pentacon Auto 135mm f2.8 , wide open. Photo by Catalin Adrian NEACSUPatio tree frog hanging out. Photo by Jennifer SuttonPhoto by Kleber AnconaPhoto by Tim Matthews
This week’s photo challenge is: “Self Portrait”
Grab your camera and take a photo this week, and send them to Photo@snapsort.com, along with your name, and a short description of the photo. Please submit your photos by next Wednesday.
Guidelines:
The photo should be taken by you
You may interpret the theme in any way you would like
You agree to allow us to share your image on our Blog and Facebook wall
You retain all rights to the photo
Submit your photos by next Wednesday
Please only submit one photo per week
Please include a short description of your photo, along with your name
Depth of field is the distance in focus on either side of the focal point - by Ben Frantz Dale
Understanding Depth of Field, or DoF, is one of those topics in photography that may not be as intuitive as it may seem.
Most people grasp the concept that the wider your lenses aperture is open, which translates to a lower f-stop number, the less distance is in focus on either side of the focal point. The narrower your lens aperture, which is a higher f-stop value, the greater the distance in focus on either side of the focal point.
That’s the simple explanation, it gets more complicated from there. The reality is the focal distance on either side of the focal point is not a clarity cliff that stays sharp until you hit the edge and suddenly falls off. DoF is actually a continuum where the focus gradually falls off to the point it’s visible with the human eye. There’s no critical point in transition, until you can see it.
The effect of a smaller aperture on depth of field, the smaller the aperture, the greater the DoF - by Chabacano
There’s even a term for that nebulous spot, caused by the light rays not coming into perfect focus, it’s called the “circle of confusion”, also known as the disk of confusion, and the blur spot.
The standard to determine an acceptably sharp circle of confusion is the distance a single point becomes so out of focus it’s noticeable on a standard 8×10 inch print viewed at a distance of 1 foot.
The circle of confusion changes not only at every f-stop, but it also changes with the lens focal length (how far it’s zoomed) as well. At smaller focal lengths, the DoF tends to increase, all other factors staying equal. Another factor is the distance to the focal point, how far away the subject is.
As you can see there’s a lot of subjective observation in that standard and, indeed, human eye perception is much finer than the standard lens manufacturers use. If that isn’t confusing enough, the circle of confusion is different for every print size and viewing distance. So take the DoF marks on your lens with a grain of salt and understand that near the outside edge, you likely see the difference.
To bring this around to some practical application, if you need depth of field, a good rule of thumb is to use the aperture priority mode on your camera and use at least f/8 or f/11. In most lenses the circle of confusion falls off quickly at f/5.6 or lower. If you’re shooting for bokeh, deliberately throwing the background out of focus, you’ll be shooting at f/5.6 or below.
Ironically filmmakers were drawn to fast lenses for the very capability of throwing the background out of focus! It’s not just still photography where the subject comes up.
DoF is another one of those subjects where it’s important to experiment on your own equipment and understand where your lenses fall in the circle of confusion. Don’t trust the factory marks, get out there and shoot some samples.
There’s no substitute for gaining an intuitive grasp of your lenses DoF and the only way you can do that is get out and practice. Every lens will be different. This should be a ritual the first time you get a new lens.