Depth of Field

What is depth of field?

Depth of field is a measure of how much of a

photograph is sharply in focus.

• The aperture is the hole inside the lens that opens and closes

• Wide aperture (f3.4) = Shallow depth of field

• Small aperture (f22) = Great depth of field

• Shallow depth of field allows ‘Selective Focus’

• ‘Selective focus is when you choose which part of the subject

you want focused and which parts you want less focused

• ‘Selective focus shows the viewer what you want them to see.

SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD F3.4

DEEP DEPTH OF FIELD F22

What controls the depth of field?

1. Aperture controls depth of field

2. The focal length of the lens used

3. The distance from the camera to the subject

Camera lens focussed on the barbed-wire

Changing the Aperture

PHOTOGRAPH 1

PHOTOGRAPH 2

Small aperture (f16) Large aperture (f2)

PHOTOGRAPH 1 PHOTOGRAPH 2

Q. Which photo was taken with a small aperture and which

photo was taken with a large aperture?

1. Where was the camera focussed for both images?

2. Which image was made with a small aperture and which with a large

aperture?