The entire feel of an image can be drastically altered by a simple change in depth of field (DOF).
Wikipedia defines DOF as:
"...the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image."
The easiest way to change your DOF is to change your aperture.
Shallow DOF:
{wide opening of aperture, small number}
Deep DOF:
{or whatever the technical name for it is...small opening of aperture, large number}
Very different images, huh?
Next time you're out shooting try adjusting your aperture multiple times for the same composition.
You might be surprised at what you get!
Oh Katie! Such a good point! I got burned on this a couple of days ago. I was shooting a wide angle in bright sun in a field with crops in the foreground, and awesome tractor/trailer for the focal point, and trees in the background. I really needed a smaller aperture to go ahead and put everything in focus in some of the shots. BUT I've been shooting a lot of football, and lower light these shorter days, so I have needed either a faster shutter speed or more light, demanding an always wide open aperture. I didn't even think of narrowing my aperture in this situation until I saw the photos on my computer. But hey, the close ups were beautiful. :-)
ReplyDeleteIsn't this what makes photography fun! All the different ways we can create an image.
ReplyDeletei am loving your 31 day series! loving it!
ReplyDeleteUgh! I can't believe how far behind I am on reading your posts. I have been so looking forward to this. Life just got busy all of a sudden. I am catching up though and I plan on doing the exercises you have for us.
ReplyDeleteI love me some shallow DOF but there are definitely times when it needs to be all in focus. You showed a perfect example! That sunflower field doesn't look near as pretty when you can see the road and all the other with it.
you know, those are two totally different pics. :) And they both have their positives, but I'm loving the first one best!
ReplyDeleteI loved the day when this finally CLICKED for me! hehe!
OH! Okay... This is beginning to make sense! Perfect examples!
ReplyDelete