Our photo project of the week is Depth Of Field (DOF)

DOF is the area in front of and behind the subject that is in focus.

Using different lenses is one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of photography.  Understanding what wide-angle and telephoto lenses do and how they do it is vital.

Follow along if you would like to enjoy the process.

Before I get started we have 4 pictures, all taken (with the camera attached to a tripod) the same distance (about 3 feet) from the subject.

First up – Taken with a 50mm f1.4 prime lens. The Aperture set to f11 = a greater depth of field.  In other words, the background and foreground are not too blurred.

The subject today is a pottery piece I made last year – Filled with fresh roses from the garden.

Now consider the second shot.  It’s taken with the same lens (50mm f1.4 prime lens) but with an aperture setting of f2.8.  Ah, see the difference?  Same shot, same lens, same distance but with that delicious blurred background.  This is my cup of tea, this lens and a good shallow depth of field.

Now see what happens when we keep the tripod in the same spot (3 feet away) but we change the lens.

Instead of shooting with a 50mm like the shots above, we switch to an 18mm.  See the difference?  The subject appears further away, yet we are still in the same spot.  The aperture for the shot below was set to f16 (not so blurred) with pretty much everything in focus.

Again, the same shot with the 18mm, the aperture setting at f4 = a little more shallow depth of field.

You will also notice that the smaller the lens, the less depth of field we can achieve.  No wonder I use my 50mm 1.4 so much.

I started a wish list of a few lenses I would like.

• 16-35mm
• 24-85mm
• 70-200mm
• 70-300mm

The possibilities are endless!  I just wish the bank account were endless as well.

Now I’m off to brainstorm, as I need to find a few more images.  Then follow the procedure as seen above, to complete the assignment this week.

Should be fun!

Blessings – Debbie