D is for Depth of Field {and all it's friends}

Depth of Field
  Depth of field refers to the range of the distance in a scene/photo that appears to be in focus.  This is controlled by the lens aperture, and extends for a distance in front of and behind the point on which the lens is focused.  So for example, when you look at a picture, if you only see the main object in focus and the background is blurry, you are looking at something with a small/shallow depth of field. 

But when everything in the image is in focus and it seems to extend far beyond the closest object you are looking at a large depth of field. 

At first you might think large depth of field is always the way to go because everything looks nice and crisp, however a shallow depth of field can be very useful and add great style to photography. Often times a shallow depth of field is used in portrait photography to keep the main subject in focus and make them stand out. 

All in all, depth of field is influenced by three main factors:
1. Aperture
2. Focal Length
3. The distance to the subject 


Here are some simple examples of depth of field with one of my favorite little men :)


This is an example of extremely shallow depth of field.  I took this at f1.6:

You can see that only the baby is in focus, and all the toys in the background are blurry.


Next you will see that the toys become a little more in focus, the caterpillar and the horse are in focus but the table and rings in the far back are still a little fuzzy.  This is f5.0:

Finally, at f16, you can see that everything is in focus:

Playing with depth of field is one of my favorite things to do, you should try it out!!





Finally, I will share some of my "D" photos from the past week...though I must admit, this whole taking pictures for each day of the week that start with the letter of the lesson is harder and harder!!

My Aunt has this Dog named Chewy.  He is a very stinky dog, but he is really quite amusing and cute.  He and I became good friends during our visit.

This Duck captivated me.  He had a beautiful blue bill, (though since I am posting SOOC I seem to have lost that detail), and was so happy in this tiny little pond.  It was as if he was King of the Hill!

I LOVVVVEEE where I live!! Not necessarily in the heart of Madison, but like on the skirt of the heart of Madison, and I have THIS view within a 5 minute walk from me!!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE.  This is a Dock that someone very lucky owns on Lake Mendota.

Smiles!!