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DAY 91 | PHOTOGRAPHY 101 |
The Aperture and Depth of Field
HOW DEEP WAS MY VALLEY
So do you have the whole aperture thing figured out? Hang on because it gets just a little more involved.
The aperture of the camera, in addition to controlling the light that enters the camera, also influences how much of your scene is in focus. The area that is in focus is called the “depth of field.”
The larger the aperture is opened, the less the depth of field. If you are taking a photograph of a person with an aperture setting of f/2 and you focus on your subject’s eyes, you will more than likely discover that your subject’s ears are out of focus.
A stalk of wheat in focus with the background out of focus (a small depth of field) indicates a large aperture setting was used in creating this photograph.
The smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field. For landscape photos, you will want to make sure that your aperture is quite small, with a setting of f/22 or f/32. In the middle of this fall groups of people or a scene that is smaller or more close-up. An aperture setting of f/5.6 or f/8 will probably work for these situations.
The next time you are working with your camera, try a few different f/stop settings and check your photograph specifically for areas that are out of focus due to how far away they are from the camera. For a creative change of pace, try your hand at manipulating your f/stop to limit the area in focus as well.
Most lenses come with a chart showing depth of field guidelines. —CWN