If you've got a digital camera, DSLR or point and shoot, and you're not thinking "depth of field" when taking pictures, maybe you should reconsider. By manipulating DOF, you can make a photo look very different, without moving where you are, or zooming in or out!
Depth of field is the area of a photo that's in focus. You can take shots where a very tiny area is in focus, or go the other way where nearly everything is sharp.
You can control DOF by changing the aperture. That's the "F" number on a lens. The Lower the "F" number, the wider the aperture. And the wider the aperture, the shorter the depth of field.
To take control, you're going to have to switch your camera from auto to aperture priority. If you're a real outlaw, you could consider going fully manual (it's "going commando" for your camera).
As you change the aperture, you compensate by changing the shutter speed and/or camera sensitivity and the ISO number. In the end, the camera sees the same amount of light.
It sounds a whole lot more complex than it really is. Try it and you'll see it's pretty intuitive when you have the camera.
I took a few steps out my front door for a quick example (above). The shots in the animation were taken without zooming in or out. I shot handheld, so there's a little motion, but not enough to spoil the effect The apertures range from F1.4 to F14.
If you're shooting in "auto," your camera will always try to compromise. For this kind of control, you've got to run the process on your own.
Posted by: Geoff Fox
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May 19, 2008 4:14 PM
Geoff: Great animation to demonstrate this sometimes elusive topic. Now, if only I had a sensor on my camera that let me do this! My Panasonic Lumix FZ-30's sensor is not particularly good at this.
May 19, 2008 4:37 PM
Point-and-shoot definitely has less effect than DSLR. It's just how we get you hooked!
May 21, 2008 8:53 PM
Would that my point and shoot had an f1.4 lens! The lens most p&s cameras have is f2.8, which is what my Canon 710IS has. My old Canon G3 had a wonderful f2.0 lens, but Canon no longer uses a f2.0 lens on its G-series cameras. opr any p&s cameras as far as I know. At least I have the ability to use aperture priority, but a wider lens would be more effective in controlling depth of field.
May 22, 2008 4:43 PM
I think I'll stick with my shoddy,twenty year old,AE1 analog camera.I have bought and sold several P&S as well as a couple of DSLR's.They just can't match the "warmth" and flexibility I get with 35 mm film.That and it is so intuitive I could probably take shot's of my dreams if I wanted to.To each his own,I guess.