Depth of field plays a significant role as it relates to the sharpness within a photograph and completely influences how the final picture appears.
This guide examines in a straightforward way what is depth of field in photography. It looks at everything needed to comprehend this topic: What impacts depth of field? What is the best DOF? Should a shallow depth of field be utilized? All explained simply so the workings of depth of field in photography can be grasped.
Additionally, since depth perception is best shown through visuals, you’ll find some depth of field examples, along with a depth of field chart to simplify DOF.
Ready to master depth of field in photography?
- An explanation of depth of field in photography
- Definition of a shallow depth of field
- What does depth of field refer to in photography?
- Most Effective Depth of Field In photography
- Depth of field factors
- Depth of Field Calculations
- Examples of Depth of Field
Table of Contents
What is depth of field in photography?
Depth of field (DoF) in photography can be characterized as the area in the image that is relatively sharp and focused. It is the distance between the closest and farthest components that are sharp and focused in your photos.
To better comprehend the essence of depth of field, it refers to the amount of the image that is acceptably sharp. For example, envision photographing two subjects situated at diverging distances from you. If solely what is amid one subject and the other is clear while the remainder is blurred, the separation between the two subjects would represent the qualification of depth of field.
Comprehending depth of field is essential for including all the important constituents that you want in your image in focus, but before delving into that, let’s get familiar with the most common depth of field terminology .
What is a shallow depth of field?
A narrow range of sharp focus is considered a short depth of vision; that is, the extent between the nearest and farthest components that are clear and in focus is quite brief, or, in other words, there’s a small part of your image with focus.
Shallow depth of field is also known as a short depth of field or narrow depth of field. The important thing is to understand what exactly is a shallow depth of field and, especially, when you should use a shallow depth of field.
A shallow depth of field is controlled by a series of elements that you’ll find below, with aperturebeing the most important (the larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field) .
What is a large depth of field?
In contrast, an extended depth of field is a wider depth of field, meaning a broader segment of the image is focused. In such cases, the line separating the nearest and most distant aspects that are reasonably distinct is lengthened.
A broad depth of field is also referred to as deep depth of field or extensive depth of field, and it’s caused by different factors, with focal length being one of the most significant. For instance, wide-angle lenses allow for a greater depth of field .
Best DOF in photography
Once familiarized with depth of field definitions and understanding, the next step involves recognizing the ideal depth of field for photography along with methods of adjusting depth of field to fulfill objectives.
There is no single most suitable depth of field in photography; it completely depends on the topic being photographed and the artistic aims. For example, many landscape photographers look to have the largest possible part of their images focused, so they use a widely encompassing depth of field. However, when capturing a portrait, it`s typical to have the background out of focus, which is also known as the “bokeh” impact, resulting from using a narrowly restricted depth of field.
However, comprehending the depths of field aspects and which depth of field to employ based on the scenario and subject you`re shooting is essential. Additionally, it`s crucial to understand concentrating in photography and what are the focus regions and modes.
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Depth of field factors in photography
There are four primary aspects that influence depth of field in photography, and you’ll examine them in depth below
Depth of field and aperture
The first factor is the relationship between aperture and depth of field.
In photography, the aperture is related to the DoF in your image. To put it simply, the wider the aperture you employ, the shallower the depth of field will be. On the other hand, the narrower the aperture you employ, the greater the depth of field will be in your image.
As you can observe, the F-stop and the depth of field will be accountable for generating whichever amount of your picture is in focus. There are other aspects that influence DOF, but as a depth of field photography suggestion, before reflecting on other settings of the exposure triangle, regulate your apertureinitially as stated by the depth of field and the parts in your picture that you want in focus.
DOF and focal length
The second factor is the depth of field and the focal length being utilized.
In this situation, the shorter the focal distance, the more extensive the depth of field will be, whereas the longer the focal distance, the more shallow the depth of field. Following this logic, the depth of field in a 50 mm focal point will be more shallow than the DOF in a 35mm focal point.
The clarification for this is actual. On the off chance that you consider a wide edge focal point, all components in the far separation are littler and along these lines, it’s less demanding to concentrate on everything, whereas in more drawn out focal lengths like telephoto lenses, there is an association between amplification and shallow profundity of field; the components in the far separation will be more extensive and along these lines, it’ll be progressively troublesome to focus on an enormous region.
The most suitable lens for depth of field depends entirely on the scene that you want to capture. For example, the most suitable lenses for a shallow depth of field typically are telephoto and fast lenses offering a wide aperture.
Holding your camera the proper way is one of the basic photography tips for beginners.To do it correctly, hold your camera at eye level with your feet at about shoulder width apart, with one foot somewhat in front of the other for greater balance.
You can find more information on this topic in our guide about focal length in photography.
DOF and focusing distance
The depth at which objects are acceptably sharp in an image (depth of field) and distance are also two interrelated elements. The closer you are to the main subject you want to capture, the shallower the depth of field will be, whereas the further you are from the key element, the greater the depth of field will be in the photo.
An effective tip for depth of field is to adjust it before placing the tripod so you can reposition if too close to the foreground and need a greater depth of field. You`ll achieve your intended result by moving according to the depth of field and focusing distance from your key subject.
To have what you want in focus, check our guide on how to focus in photography and the focus modes explained.
DOF and sensor size
The last factor is the relationship between the depth of field and the camera sensor size.
Considering we’re using the same focal length, the more substantial the sensor size, the broader the depth of field, and the smaller the sensor size, the narrower the depth of field you’ll see.
*Please note that we’re considering the same focal length in this depth of field comparison. If we consider the same field of view, the depth of field will be narrower in cameras with larger sensors and larger in cameras with cropped sensors.
In APS-C cameras, for example, the sensor size is cropped, which signifies that normal focal lengths have a multiplying factor x 1.5. As we explained above in the focal length vs. DOF section, a 35 mm in a full-frame camera is approximately a 52 mm focal length in an APS-C camera, which denotes that the depth of field will be narrower in the cropped-sensor camera.
As with lenses, there is no single perfect camera for achieving a particular depth of field effect. The best choice depends on the depth of field appearance being targeted. In my case, for landscape photography which is my primary genre, I always prefer a camera with a wide depth of field – so for my needs in regard to depth of field, a full-frame sensor camera is most suitable.
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You can also “break the rules” to increase your depth of field by doing a focus stacking. This technique is, however, more sophisticated and I don’t recommend trying it if you are still starting out in photography.
Best Depth of field calculator
There is a formula for calculating depth of field, but unless you have advanced mathematical expertise, I do not recommend using it.
The best way to calculate depth of field is to employ a depth of field calculator within an app or an online depth of field calculator like this one.
Some of the most effective apps dedicated to calculating depth of field for iPhone and Android include Photopills and Depth of field calculator. On these apps, you can enter your depth of field camera settings, and they’ll provide the hyperfocal distance and depth of field chart.
In Photopills, there’s even an augmented-reality DOF view, where you can see which elements will be in focus.
In my view, applications that calculate depth of field are a good way to understand depth of field in photography, but once you gain experience and take pictures for a period of time, you’ll learn to compute the depth of field spontaneously .
Depth of field photographs and examples
Beyond theory, depth of field is best shown through examples, so below you’ll find a comparison of DOF among different depth of field photographs.
example of shallow depth of field in photography
This exemplifies a great example of a shallow depth of field. Using a small aperture and getting closer to the subject, I could focus on the glass with the logo, leaving the other glasses out of focus.
Example of large depth of field
In this case, you can see an example of a large depth of field. The focal length was too long, considering the short distance from the foreground, so I had to reduce the aperture to increase the depth of field.
Example of shallow depth of field in wildlife photography
It`s frequent to see illustrations of shallow depth of field in wildlife photography, since this genre is usually photographed using telephoto lenses and tiny apertures. In this case, everything was out of focus except the main subject.
Example of large depth of field in wildlife photography
There are some exceptions and examples of large depth of field in wildlife photography; this is one of them. The aim was to have everything in focus so the grizzly bear could be integrated into the landscape, so I decided to get closer to use a shorter focal length and smaller aperture opening.
Example of small depth of field in landscape photography
When you shoot using telephoto lenses, you can observe instances of a minimal depth of focus in landscape photography, like in the picture below. Despite the fact that I used a restrictive aperture, only the foreground is satisfactorily in focus.
Example of Deep depth of field in landscape photography
Most examples of depth of field shown in landscape photography involve extensive depth of field, like in the image below. To keep everything in focus, small apertures must be used and controlling the distance from the key parts of the scene is important.
Example of shallow depth of field in portrait photography
In this case, you can see an example of shallow depth of field in portrait photography being utilized. By using the largest possible aperture, we can focus attention on our subject, leaving the rest of the scene out of focus.
example of a large depth of field in portrait photography
Conversely, in this other example that demonstrates varying depths of field in portrait photography, the DoF is large, since we want to include the subject within the landscape. Another instance would be to photograph a portrait of a group of people where everyone is intended to be in focus.
Depth of field F.A.Q
Below are my responses to some frequently asked questions about understanding depth of field in photography.
What is meant by depth of field?
Depth of field, also known as DOF, is defined as the amount of the image that is considered sharp and in focus.
What constitutes a shallow depth of field?
A shallow focus range is a small amount of the image in focus. When using a shallow focus range, the area in focus between the closest and the farthest element is very narrow.
Where is the button used to preview depth of field located?
The button forpreviewing depth of field is generally situated on the top-right front of most digital cameras, commonly around the camera lens mount.
What factors influence depth of field?
The depth of field is controlled by the lens aperture, the focal length, the focusing distance, and the sensor size.
What focal range provides the best perspective for landscapes?
The best depth perception in landscape photography is usually a large depth perception to make the portion of the image in focus as extensive as possible. Wide-angle lenses are the best optics for capturing an image with significant depth perception.
Which is the best depth of field for portrait photography?
The optimal depth of field for portraits is a shallow depth of field when you want your subject to stand out against the background. Fast lenses with f-stops below f/2.8 are best for achieving a more shallow depth of field and bokeh effect.
Conclusion
As you can view, comprehending depth of field in photography is crucial to accomplish your photographic aims. Adjusting and controlling the DOF, you’ll make certain that everything in your visuals is as sharp and focused as you want it to be.
Beyond all the material within this extensive guide on depth of field photography, I encourage you to get out and shoot as frequently as your schedule allows. Doing so will help you learn which depth of field works best in different scenarios through personal experience, become familiar with the variances between shallow and large depths of field, and swiftly calculate the needed depth of field automatically.
Referring to our guide on aperture in photography and our guide to camera sensor dimensionsis a good way to supplement all the depth of field fundamentals and examples.
And lastly, understanding how to focus in photographyand what are the focus modes and areasis crucial to get the pictures you want. You can gain all this information by downloading my PDF photography fundamentals guide.
Be sure to save and keep the depth of field reference sheet with you, and feel free to leave any queries related to depth of field in the comments!
