Project 52, Week 10, Depth of Field (DOF)

Effective use of depth of field can add depth and dimension to a photo.  Depth of field (DOF) is the area of the scene that is in acceptable focus. 

• If you have a very shallow depth of field, only the subject itself will be in focus.  The area behind the subject will be blurry.  This is also referred to as "narrow DOF".
• If you have a deep depth of field, the entire picture will be in focus.  This is also referred to as "great DOF" or "extended DOF".

This can be more complicated than it sounds and takes practice to perfect.  There are 3 things that affect the depth of field:

1. Aperture - refers to the lens opening that allows light to enter the camera and reach the sensor (or film)
• the larger the aperture the shallower the depth of field
• The size of the opening is indicated by the F-stop; the larger the F-stop the smaller the opening.  [Think of this the same way you do fractions - 1/2 of a pie is bigger than 1/4, 1/4 is bigger than 1/8, and so on, just as an aperture of F-2 is wider than one of F-4 which is wider than F-8, and so on]
2. Distance - the distance between the camera and the subject
• the greater the distance between the camera and the subject, the greater the depth of field
• the shorter the distance, the shallower the depth of field
3. Focal length - basically, the distance from the lens to the sensor (film)
• the longer the focal length, the shallower the depth of field
• the shorter the focal length, the greater the depth of field
• wide angle lens (such as 21 - 35 mm) have a greater depth of field than telephoto lenses (greater than 70 mm) ["Normal" lenses are generally considered to have a focal length of 35 - 70 mm, usually 50 mm.]

Use a shallow depth of field to focus attention on the main subject. 

• This helps you to apply the composition rule Simplify.
• This is frequently used for portrait and nature photography.
• Usually you will want the subject to be in sharp focus, but you might try blurring the subject and having something else, perhaps a contrasting element, in focus

Use a deep depth of field to include all elements in the scene. 

• This is frequently used for landscape photography (but a shallower depth of field can also be effective).
• Don't make the scene too "busy" or your story will get lost.

Suggested Reading and Photographic Examples:

1. Depth of Field by Joe Hinshaw and Steve Anderson from School of Media Arts & Design, James Madison University; interactive depth of field tutorial
2. Depth of Field Explained by Steve Basiter and and Peter Bargh from ePhotozine; medium size article with pictures of camera settings
3. DOFMaster; calculators, articles, FAQs
4. To Blur of Not to Blur from Photography in Malaysia; article and photos
5. Effective use of hyperfocal focusing for wide angle landscape photos by Rod Barbee from Barbee Photo; article with photos and tables
6. Tutorials: Depth of Field from Cambridge in Color; an article including "Circle of Confusion" and DOF calculators
7. Depth of Field and Diffraction by Norman Koren from Norman Koren.com; article includes several tables, complicated formulas, and discussion of diffraction

Learning Videos:

1. Photography 1 on 1: Depth of Field by Mark Wallace from AdoramaTV; a 7 minute video
2. Photography tutorial - depth of field by Scott Muller from Total Image; a 4 minute YouTube video
3. Canon EOS - Getting Started: Depth of Field Photography from Cannon Australia; a 3 minute YouTube video
4. Understanding Depth of Field in Digital Photos from Dummies.com; 2 minute video
5. Lens Focal Length by Darren Cole; a 5.5 minute video lecture on focal length

Bonus Learning Opportunities for Aperture and Focal Length:

1. Back to the Basics: Aperture/F-Stop part 2 by Valerie Hayken from VH Photography & Design, Photo-Talk; brief explanation of F-stops and the relationship to DOF
2. Photography 1 on 1: Aperture Values by Mark Wallace from AdoramaTV; an 8 minute YouTube video with thorough discussion on apertures, focal length, and aperture values
3. Understanding Camera Lenses from Cambridge in Colour; explanation of focal length with tables and drawings as well as photos
4. Lens Focal Length from Paragon Press; an article with comparative photos
5. The Use of Focal Length in Landscape Photography by Wim van Velzen from photoinf; an article with pictures

Project 12, Month 3, Depth and Dimension

Photographs, by nature, are only two dimensional (height and width).  This month we review techniques to add a third dimension, depth.  Composing a shot with depth and dimension can turn a snapshot into a photograph.

Some techniques for creating depth and dimension

• Use the Rule of Thirds - put your subject off-center
• Depth of field - refers to the portion of the scene that is in acceptable focus
• Layering  
• Include foreground elements - such as a meadow in front of a lake in front of a mountain in front of a sky
• Use silhouettes
• Use reflections
• Natural framing - for example, use tree branches to frame a lake scene
• Visual lines
• Converging lines - such as railroad tracks that appear wider in the foreground and narrower as they go into the scene
• Leading lines - such as a winding road leading into the background
• Placement of the horizon
• Dwindling sizes of like subjects - such as a photo of a row of trees taken from an angle that makes the trees in front appear taller than the trees at the far end of the row
• Point of view - get low and shoot up, get high and shoot down
• Design elements
• Color
• Light
• Texture

Suggested Reading and Photographic Examples:

1. Composition Basics: That's Deep by Jeff Wignall from Adorama; an article with photos
2. Composition; Creating a Sense of Depth from Coldsnap Photography; an article with photos
3. Maximizing Perspective and Depth in Your Photography by Simon Bray from phototuts+; an article with photos
4. Perspective from NAVY training manual; article with b/w photos
5. Photography 101 Rules for Composition: Create Depth by Benjamin Yoder from examiner.com; short article with 2 pictures - one "good" example and one "bad" example
6. Visual Design Elements: Perspective from Ultimate Photo Tips; an article with photos
7. Architecture Photography: Top 10 Tips for Creating Breathtaking Architecture Photos by Thomas Holtkötter from Fotoblur; Pictures illustrating depth and dimension

See the page 2012 Project12-52-365 for a complete list of the topics.

NYIP Photo Assigments

For those of you who visit Persimmon Tree Photography only in your search for NYIP information, DOFmaster has posted photographs submitted for NYIP assignments from 2000 - 2003 along with comments from the NYIP advisers that you may find interesting.

You may also want to visit DOFMaster's main page where you can find applications, charts, tables, and articles for depth of field (hence the name DOF Master). You can also find the Navy Basic and Advanced Photography Courses from 1993.

I don't understand how NYIP decided on their assignments. The first assignment is to take a photograph "using shutter speed to express a sense of motion or speed."  I'm not a photographer nor an educator, but as a student, I think something else would be more appropriate for one's first photograph.  Something that would re-inforce the lesson, but would let the student be comfortable with the camera.   I also think the assignment should emphasize technique more than subject.  Each of the assignments do help reinforce learning about exposure and lighting, but then they should just be about the technique and let you choose an available subject.

While I'm complaining, I don't know why NYIP insists on having all the assignment photographs mailed instead of sent electronically.  It just looks to me like using modern technology would be less expensive and easier on everybody.  They could still have one or two assignments on printing photographs if they wanted.

I don't think I've listed them before, so here are the assignments in 2011 (they aren't quite the same as in 2000, but close).  Each assignment is for 3 - 5+ photographs.

Unit 1:

1. Using shutter speed to express a sense of motion or speed.
2. Using selective focus to make the subject stand out
3. Creating a feeling of distance by using great depth of field

Unit 2:

1. Emphasizing the subject by the size and off-center placement
2. Using framing to focus attention on your subject
3. Using leading lines to draw attention to your subject

Unit 3:

1. Using sidelighting to emphasize surface tension
2. Using backlighting to enhance the surface
3. Using "open shade" to photograph a person outdoors
4. Using a reflector board as a second light source

Unit 4:

1. Using window light for a portrait
2. Using one or two lights for a portrait
3. Making an indoor location portrait
4. Photographing a baby, young child, or pet
5. Making a group portrait

Unit 5 (you only have to do 3 of the 4):

1. Photographing a newsworthy event
2. Photographing a sports event
3. Making a fashion photograph
4. Creating a photo essay/photograph story (10+ photos)

Unit 6 (you only have to do 5 of the 9):

1. Shooting a product photograph
2. Photographing a building exterior in daylight
3. Photographing a building exterior at night
4. Photographing the interior of a home or office
5. Photographing close up
6. Photographing a still life
7. Creating a glamorous portrait
8. Photographing to minimize facial flaws
9. Creating a special effects photograph

I still haven't got started with the assignments and I meant to have them completed by now, but I have 2 more years so I'll probably wait another year (I'm such a procrastinator!).  I have read in a couple of forums that students got stuck at Unit 4 because they couldn't find anyone willing to pose for the portraits.  I will probably have that problem also.  I read that several (many?) years ago NYIP sent you a plastic or foam, bald head (called Shirley) that you could use for portraits, but, dang, they don't do that any more.

Hyperfocal Distance and Tripods

I just finished watching the "Live Action Training" which accompanied Unit 1 of the NYIP course.  Some notes about the video:

• It ran about an hour.
• It was over 10 years old.  It talked about film cameras, didn't even mention digital cameras.
• But ... the photography concepts they discussed are still pertinent and they complemented Unit 1's audio and text lessons.
• Seeing the professional photographers actually use the techniques and then critiquing the different shots (good and not-as-good) was most helpful.   Don, Chuck, Linda and Jerry, were good teachers.
• I understand hyperfocal much better now and I know why I need to understand it.

The first topic after the introduction was framing a shot and depth of field, specifically using hyperfocal distance to take sharp pictures.  This was explained in depth by a professional photographer taking various shots for a local chamber of commerce calendar on location at a church yard.  Then Chuck Delany, back in the studio, demonstrated how to set the lens aperture and distance.

The second segment discussed two topics, using a tripod and taking motion pictures. The first photographer took pictures of a waterfall and wanted a softer motion shot with a misty look to the water falling, while the second photographer needed to illustrate, in sharper focus, a cantering horse and rider. 

More on Hyperfocal Focusing:
Hyperfocal Distance Guide (DOFMaster)
Hyperfocal Focusing (Great Landscape Photography)
Demystifying Hyperfocal Focusing (Nature Photographers)

More on Using a Tripod:
How to Use a Tripod (Roberts Web Photoschool)
It's Not as Simple as You Think (Digital Photography School)
Why You Need A Good Tripod (ZDNet)

More on Taking Motion/Action Pictures:
45 Beautiful Motion-Blur Photos (Smashing Magazine)
Taking Sports Pictures (photo.net)
Fun With Photography (About.com. Photography)

Depth of Field

I've been researching Depth of Field (DOF) and Aperture and other things I was introduced to in my recent photography lessons. In the lesson on DOF, I was referred to DOFMaster to calculate DOF for different apertures to complete an exercise. 

DOFMaster has an easy to use calculator that produces DOF tables based on your camera and the focal length of the lens.  You can set it to give results in feet and inches, feet, or meters.  You can also download the DOFMaster Depth of Field Calculator application if your computer has Windows® 95, Windows® 98, Windows® ME, Windows NT® 4.x, Windows® 2000, or Windows® XP operating systems.  (Mine does not so I can't give any other information on this app.)

You can see a picture of how one photographer, Bernie Sumption, uses the DOFMaster DOF tables on his personal website.  He created a table for each lens, printed them, and then laminated each table.  This is a site worth visiting  You'll find several articles for beginner photographers on Bernie's site and amazing pictures of the Sumptions trip from England to Australia.  The last update was January 15th from the White Desert; it looks like salt instead of sand.