Depth of field how does it work

Try closing one eye and placing your finger in front of the other. Now focus on your finger, and slowly move it away from your eye whilst staying focused on it.

Do you notice how the background slowly comes into focus? As you move your finger away, your eye adjusts to move that focusing range with it, meaning the objects in the background are coming closer to the centre of focus. The reason that the areas that are out of focus appear blurry is that the precision of the light being captured from these areas is sacrificed to benefit the precision of those you want to look at.

Bokeh is the name for the blur that occurs as a result of a narrow depth of field. The wider the iris, the larger the circles. Bokeh can be used to soften distracting elements in the background or foreground of an image so that the eye is automatically drawn to the subject of choice. It increases the contrast in the focus area relative to the areas around it, and our eyes are naturally drawn to areas of high contrast.

If you have more than one subject in your shot, you can use depth of field to pull your viewers focus to one in particular. Photographers and cinematographers will often add elements like plants or structural elements as an out-of-focus layer in the foreground. This helps to add dimension to your image, and creates a more immersive perspective for the viewer. Try experimenting with two, three, four, or even five layers to see how it affects your final result.

As well as creating dimension and context, out-of-focus elements in the foreground can be used to obstruct unsightly elements in the scene, or create more mystery surrounding the context of your subject. Close up elements can create a subtle and unobtrusive effect that slowly tapers off the detail in an area of the image. Getting your camera down low can offer unique perspectives in any context. In some ways, this will make the objects appear to be on the same plane or at least in the vicinity of each other.

Increasing the space between objects increases the depth, and therefore the distance that light has to disperse and create bokeh. So what else can you do to control depth of field? Moving yourself or the camera closer towards the objects in the scene increases the relative distance between the objects themselves when compared with the distance from the camera.

This increases the perceived depth and can add more lens blur to background and foreground layers. Similarly, moving the camera further away will reduce the depth of field and make objects seem closer together.

Shooting with a full frame camera will also produce a shallower depth of field than shooting with a cropped one. Because diffraction will decrease the resolution of your photography and thus will reduce sharpness. Diffraction puts a limit to the aperture choice. Diffraction is the result of light dispersion caused by the edges of the diaphragm blades in the lens. The smaller the aperture the more light rays are scattered, and more negatively will the photo be affected.

You need to take into account magnification. Use our macro depth of field calculator. In photography, it is used to describe the quality of the blur produced in the out of focus areas of an image produced by a lens.

Bokeh and shallow depth of field are not the same. Use a long focal length 50mm or more. Get close to the subject. Focus the lens on the subject you want to be sharp. Put your subject far from the background that you want blurred out. Make sure that there are small background highlights, such as specular reflections or light sources artificial or natural.

William Eugene Smith wisely reminds us that depth of field by itself is just another tool more at our service. So, depth of field is a great tool that you can use to turn your thoughts into real stunning pictures. But, before we plunge ourselves into the exciting universe of depth of field, let me share a few examples with you This photo is related to seamen stories and legends. I tried to connect Heaven and Hell with a stair made of stars. Focusing at the hyperfocal distance was essential to maximize depth of field.

Thus, all the elements in the horizon or further away will be in sharp focus e. The only downside is that you lose depth of field in front of the focus plane. In , a very rare phenomenon took place in Menorca: it snowed!

This photo shows the white landscape and, in the background, El Toro — our highest hill. Twenty minutes prior to this shot, the sky was flat with no clouds. Nothing presaged the twilight of lights and colors that we enjoyed minutes later. Once again, Ansel Adams was on our side.

Since the rocks were at a distance larger than the hyperfocal distance Ciutadella de Menorca, the village where I live is pure magic. The image above includes streetlights, lighthouses, the moon and, at the horizon, Mallorca, the biggest piece of land in the Balearic Islands, to complete a great scene during the blue hour. The roof of the Cathedral of Ciutadella is a unique place. As it is unique to live a sunset from such a privileged position above the village.

Again, focusing at the hyperfocal distance allowed me to have everything in focus, from the roof adornment located in the foreground to the sun. This is very common in portraits.

But it also comes very handy when shooting landscapes, street photography, products, events, close-ups and macro photography. I shot this picture outside, where the light was enhanced with a golden reflector.

Consequently, all the attention is directed to the eye, which is placed right in the center of the image. Both, happiness and the beautiful background bokeh seems to hold Anna in the air. The forest brings so many fantastic opportunities to shoot portraits. Take advantage of it! In wildlife photography, you must focus very precisely because long focal lengths produce a very shallow depth of field.

The photo was taken from inside a hide. The colors and beauty of the plumage of these birds makes photography an art. I was able to close the aperture because the bee-eater was staying still, which in turn allowed me to have the whole bird in focus!

As opposed to the previous picture, this one was taken while the Buzzard Buteo buteo was in motion. I had to widen the aperture a little bit to increase shutter speed and, thus, freeze the bird. A few seconds before I was shooting with my Nikon Ds with a 1.

As I saw that the bird was approaching me, I decided to switch to my Nikon D and mm lens. I was pretty lucky! By stitching 11 pictures with little depth of field, you can create a panorama where the overall depth of field is quite considerable. Using the technique of focus stacking to create beautiful panoramas is another way to control the areas of the image you want to be sharp. You should try sometime the Brenizer method Ryan Brenizer. This method consists in creating portraits by shooting several pictures with the same depth of field using a fast telephoto lens to finally build a panorama.

As you look at it, you have the impression that the image had been taken using a wide angle lens but with little depth of field. This photo is the result of 57 frames stitched together with the software PTGui Pro. The hardest part of the job was for Aina, my little daughter, who had to stay the whole session without moving. From time to time, I like to detox from the digital system using my film cameras. All of them still work perfectly well!

Without a doubt, the grain from analogic cameras is unbeatable, artistically speaking. This picture was taken during a traditional slaughter of pigs in a small village in Mallorca.

The product in the foreground is a typical spirit from Mallorca. Sant Joan is one of the best traditional festivals in the world. Celebrated in Ciutadella at the end of June, it includes the popular horse races.

The horses and riders run among the crowd, making it an incredibly dangerous moment for both the riders and spectators. Here, I shaked the camera to give a sense of speed to the image. Learn more about this great festival reading " Dreaming of Sant Joan ". Two emblematic buildings of my village gave me the opportunity to play with my mm lens.

Both details melt together in the frame. Occasionally, when you least expect it, nature offers you a great scene. This water snake was quietly resting in a cattle trough in a nearby oak grove. After 10 minutes of "trial and error", it allowed me to focus on its eyes and I managed take this picture. Shooting macro photography with the reverse lens technique can become an addiction: abstraction to create art.

In this case, I was able to reach a rate of magnification of using a Cosina wide-angle with a lens reversing ring. Of course, these are just a few examples of depth of field practical use.

Feel free to apply it to any type of photography and situation you desire Just be as much creative as possible! Due to the fact that a camera can precisely focus the lens at only one distance at a time, sharpness gradually decreases on each side of the focused distance or, if you prefer, the plane of focus PoF.

The distance between the camera and the first element that is considered to be acceptably sharp is called DoF near limit. Similarly, the distance between the camera and the furthest element that is considered to be acceptably sharp is called DoF far limit.

Notice that the limits of depth of field are not hard boundaries between sharp and unsharp since defocus is produced gradually. Depth of field is not equally distributed in front near and behind far your focus point. Usually, the far DoF is larger than the near DoF. On the contrary, the furthest you focus the less evenly distributed.

In similar fashion, for a given focus distance, a telephoto lens will give you a more evenly distributed DoF than a wide angle lens. Depending on the settings used for the shot, the area that is considered to be acceptably sharp in your image can go from less than a millimeter Macro Photography to kilometers, and even to infinity Landscape or Astrophotography.

This last infinite depth of field situation occurs when you focus the lens at what is called the hyperfocal distance or at any distance larger than the hyperfocal distance. There is a DoF fact to which I specially want you to pay attention.

Have a look at the following portrait. This work goes far beyond any historical moment, any geographical spot and any role that has been attributed to women by society. The viewer is lead through a visual intimate path to finally discover the deepest emotions that dwell in our women.

This picture represents the beginning of a terrible disease: cancer. It immortalizes the very first moment Maria, now totally recovered, looked at her falling hair and realized that her life would turn into a real nightmare.

She was suffering but also pulling all her strength and energy to fight back the disease. At the same time I wanted the body, where her cancer was growing, completely out of focus. How did I take it?

First, I used a subject distance focus distance of 4. Then, I asked Maria to separate her hands from the body. So go, move around and find the right shooting position. The right spot is where everything makes sense and where all the elements you need come together in a superb image. The aperture is the setting that beginners typically use to control depth of field.

PhotoPills includes a depth of field chart and an advanced DoF calculator where you can change these hypothesis to adjust the circle of confusion you need. In other words, when the lens is focused at the hyperfocal distance, everything that falls at any given distance from half of this distance out to infinity will be acceptably sharp, which is the maximum depth of field you can have. Notice that if you focus at a distance that is shorter than the hyperfocal distance, the depth of field far limit will not be at infinite.

Most cameras only offer two modes where you can easily control the aperture and therefore the depth of field:. Aperture Priority mode and Manual mode.

Carefully observe your scene. Ask yourself: Do I want to blur out the background? Or do I want to keep the entire shot sharp? But if the background adds to the scene — for instance, it contains beautiful clouds, a stunning mountain range, or it contributes valuable context — then use a deep depth of field. On the other hand, if you want to keep the entire shot sharp, you may want to calculate the hyperfocal distance see the section on hyperfocal distance below to determine the best point of focus.

If your goal is a shallow depth of field effect, set your lens to its widest possible aperture. Then get as close as you can to your subject and take your shot. If your goal is to achieve a deep depth of field effect, use a wide-angle lens if possible and get as far back from your subject as you can without sacrificing the composition. But many cameras offer a depth of field preview button ; press this, and you can preview the actual depth of field in real-time before hitting the shutter button.

Take a quick look at the image in playback mode. If your goal is to keep the entire shot sharp, magnify the photo to check the nearest foreground object and the most distant background object, just to be sure everything looks good. The hyperfocal distance is a special point of focus in your scene. Specifically, when you focus at the hyperfocal distance, your depth of field will extend from half your point of focus all the way to infinity.

As you can imagine, this is useful when you want to keep the entire scene sharp; you just dial in your preferred aperture, then set your point of focus at the hyperfocal distance. But how do you determine the hyperfocal distance when out in the field? You have a few options. The principal focal point is the point where rays coming from a long distance converge.

The distance between the principal focal point and the lens is the focal length. So a 14mm lens bends light so it converges 14mm from the lens. A long lens mm bends the light so it converges mm from the lens. Short focal lengths give a wide angle of view and long focal lengths give a narrow angle of view. When you focus an image using a focusing ring, you're moving the lens so the focal point is in line with the film, in a film camera, or sensor, in a digital camera.

This diagram shows an image that's out of focus. The distance over which a lens bends light into the principal focal point.

A long focal length makes a shallow depth of field. You can use a long lens to create a shallow depth of field, but be aware this will also restrict your field of view. A large aperture makes a shallow depth of field You can use a large aperture to create a shallow depth of field, but be aware this will also increase exposure. The part of a digital camera that corresponds to the film in a film camera.

A large Sensor makes a shallow depth of field You can use a camera with a large sensor to create a shallow depth of field, but be aware that you'll need to take extra care with focus.