Shallow depth highlights the main subject of the image by softening the background or putting it out of focus. This technique is usually applied in portraits. By blurring the background, the visual distractions are minimized, allowing observers to focus on the main subject of the scene.

Depth of field definitionphotography

The lens helps control the aperture capabilities of the camera. Lens with high magnification capability produces images with smaller DoF. This goes even with large F-stop settings. The longer the camera lens, the shallower the DoF.

Knowing how to sharpen or soften parts of your images is a great skill to master as an artist. With a shallow depth of field, you can bring the attention to the subject by separating it from the background. This technique is often used in wildlife photography, sports photography, and low light situations. But to focus as much of the scene in a frame, you’ll need maximum depth of field. This technique is often used in landscape photography to bring the viewers’ attention to the entire scene of the image, not just parts of it.

In filmmaking and cinematography, depth of field gives filmmakers creative control over where the camera is focused on to direct what the audience sees in a scene. The technique helps set up an audience’s expectation in a specific part of the frame to elicit the right level of emotion and attention as the story unravels.

Jasmine Katatikarn is the founder of Academy of Animated Art. She has 20+ years of experience in Feature Animation and VFX. Jasmine’s lighting credits include movies like Ice Age, Ferdinand, Peanuts, and Rio. Read more here.

What’s the secret to creating unique, striking images with perfect backgrounds? When composing an image, you have to control the distance between the foreground and the background of the subject that’s in focus. This technique is called Depth of Field (DoF) and it is a powerful principle that separates good photographs from stunning, unforgettable images that look professionally done.

Telephoto lens, for instance, helps create images with shallow depth of field. Cameras with a wide-angle lens, on the other hand, will produce images with more depth of field

Shallowdepth of fieldexamples

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The aperture setting ranges from f/1.8-f/64 and you have to use the right lens to capture different aperture ranges. A wider aperture (f/1.4, f/2, etc.) helps create a blurred or soft focus image. On the other hand, a narrower aperture (f/8, f/11, etc.) creates a deeper DoF, creates a sharply focused image.

There are many ways to determine a scene’s depth of field. You can either search for DoF charts for your lenses and camera online, download apps that calculate DoF for you, or use your camera’s DoF button for a preview of the image.

Depth of fieldphotography examples

Depth of field definitionlens

On close-up shots, for example, the subject is more focused while the background is usually blurry. In macro photography, images usually have small depths of field. But in landscape shots, the depths of field are larger.

Depth of fieldphotography settings

A camera with a large F-stop has a large DoF. It will also require slower shutters speeds so more light enters the sensor, producing images with deeper depths of field. On the other hand, a camera with a small F-stop has faster shutter speeds so less light enters the sensor. This helps produce images with shallow depths of field.

Jasmine Katatikarn is the founder of Academy of Animated Art. She has 20+ years of experience in Feature Animation and VFX. Jasmine’s lighting credits include movies like Ice Age, Ferdinand, Peanuts, and Rio. Read more here.

Not all cameras come with a DoF button but newer ones now come with this standard feature. When using the DoF button, the image may appear darker through the eyepiece but once the image is exposed, the correct exposure settings will be applied.

A camera can only focus on a small point in a space. Through this technique, you can determine how much of the image is in “acceptable focus” to the eyes. By understanding the intricacies of DoF, you can also focus on your subject and background at the same time.

To demonstrate deep DoF, a large depth of space will be shown in subjects such as landscapes. The technique helps make an entire frame appear to be sharp or in focus, from the foreground to the background.

Shallowdepth of field

Narrow your aperture by setting your camera to a large F-number. Then, move farther away from the subject and shorten the focal length.

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Shallowdepth of fieldphotography

Depth of Field is defined as the range of focus on a photograph or film. It is a basic technique that photographers, cinematographers, and camera operators use to create high-impact images that draw the audience’s attention.

Widen your aperture by setting your camera to a smaller F-number. Move closer to the subject and extend your focal length.

Depth of field definitionmicroscope

An image’s DoF is measured from the closest in-focus point to the farthest in-focus point. Depth of Field could either be deep or shallow.

Aperture or F-stop is a camera setting that controls the DoF. The setting controls the amount of light that enters the film or digital sensor through an adjustable opening. The angle of light that strikes the film or sensor changes as the range of aperture changes. Aperture is measured by f-stops, which can be adjusted through the camera controls. The F-stop setting adjusts the ratio depending on the size of the lens that opens as well as the focal length.

The distance of the subject will determine the depth of field of an image. Generally, the closer the subject is to the camera, the shallower the depth of field becomes. The further away the subject is to the camera, the deeper the depth of field becomes.