The Evolving Photographer

Depth of field refers to the slice of the photo that is in focus.

A shallow depth of field has a narrower band of focus. For example, everything from 4 feet away from the camera to 8 feet away is in focus. Objects outside of that band are increasingly out of focus as they get closer or further away. Think of a wedding photo with the focus on the bride while the background dissolves out of focus.

A deeper or greater depth of field has a wider band of focus. For example, everything from 3 feet away to infinity is in focus. Think of a landscape photo where everything is sharp from the foreground to the background.

The Mechanics - How to Control Depth of Field

Focal Length - The longer the focal length (higher numbers, like 200mm) the more shallow the depth of field. The shorter the focal length (lower numbers, like 18mm) the deeper the depth of field. So zoom in to shrink the depth of field, zoom out to expand the depth of field.

Aperture - The wider open the aperture (lower f/stop) the more shallow the depth of field. The smaller the aperture (higher f/stop) the greater the depth of field. To remember the rule think of squinting your eye to see far away.

Distance from Subject - The closer the distance from the camera to subject the more shallow the depth of field. The further from the subject the greater the depth of field. So get close to shrink depth of field, move away to expand depth of field.

To get the most shallow depth of field open the aperture, get in close and zoom in. The get as much as possible in focus with a deep depth of field step back, zoom out and set a small aperture.

Artistic - How to Use Depth of Field

The artistic use of depth of field comes down to one thing: controlling what is in focus. Decide what is important about what you see and use the depth of field to get rid of the rest. In a close up portrait the details of the leaves on the tree behind the subject just take away attention from what you want the viewer to focus on.

That's a good way to think about it. What do you want the viewer of the photo to focus on? That's what should be in focus. Simple enough, but tricky to make second nature as you shoot.

This Shot
The view of San Francisco from Coit Tower. This shot uses a deep depth of field to keep everything from the houses in the front to the skyscrapers in the back in focus. I made one big blunder shooting this - ISO 1000. That's why the sky looks a bit grainy. Oh well, reason enough to go back.

Supporting Photos - Click to on Each Photo to Open
The butterfly demonstrates a shallow depth of field. The focus is on the body of the butterfly while the greenery in the background dissolves out of focus.

The carousel horse demonstrates a middle of the road depth of field. You can still make out what is behind the horse but with less definition. This carousel is inside the Please Touch Museum at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The expressions on the horses caught me as full of tension, disturbing and odd as part of a kiddie ride.

Taking digital pictures is free, good prints are only a few bucks and great looking mattes and frames are available at affordable prices if you know where to look. One of my favorite recipies includes an 11x14 print, an 11x14 to 16x20 matte and a frame all for about $35. The result isn't gallery quality but it is living room worthy.

The Photo

Start with a photo you like and find a spot to put it. It's important to know where the work will hang to pick an appropriate frame. Prepare the photo with the post processing software of your choice. In the spirit of frugality, here are a few recommendations that are completely free. Picasa from Google is excellent at organizing photos and the latest version improves the editing features considerably. GIMP is a free image editor similar to Photoshop and handy when the editing tools in Picasa are not enough. If you want to try your hand at HDR, QTPFSGUI will do the trick.

The most important thing to remember is to crop the photo to the same aspect ratio you plan to print at. Picasa lets you pick 11x14 then gives you a box that is the right shape to move around and stretch until you get it right.

The Print

Now fire up a web browser and send the picture in to your favorite printer. My local Costco does an excellent job and I don't have to pay or wait for shipping from an online retailer for small orders. 11x14's are $3. If you're looking to spend a little more for a higher quality print with more paper and finish options I like the results at MPIX. A recent black and white 20x30 print I ordered looks fantastic.

You can print it yourself. If you want to do that, go find another blog for help with the printing. Printers drive me nuts.

The Matte and Frame

My favorite source for frames and mattes is Michael's. Their whole marketing strategy is based on promotion - fill the store with every possible craft related item you can think of then mark everything 40-50% off every other week. The important thing to remember is never pay the sticker price.

Go online and get the local ad for your store and print out the coupon. If there isn't an ad posted, just wait a week. For most 16x20 frames the price ends up about $25. Pre-cut 11x14 to 16x20 mattes are available for $5. Many of the weekly ads offer 40% off any one regular priced item so you can save a few bucks no the matte too.

Target is another good source for frames. They charge a little more but often include a matte. Bring the print to the store and pick simple frames and white mattes. All black, stained wood or metal work best. Complicated frames distract from the print. To fight the temptation of fancy frames hold the print on the frame in the store and stand back. Do it with a fancy frame and a plain one. You'll see the difference.

The Assembly

Mount the print to the back of the matte with one piece of tape at the top, centered and about half the width of the print. Scotch tape will do or pickup matte tape for a few dollars.

Carefully clean the glass for the frame inside and out. Watch out for dust or specs stuck to the matte (easy to see on the white matte). Drop in the glass, matte and print then hold the frame over your head. Check for dirt and alignment of the print. It's much easier to fix problems before reinstalling the backing. Also check the orientation of the print matches the mounting hardware on the frame. More than once I have gone to hang something and realized the print was upside down.

All done! If you get tired of the print, just take it out and put another print in. Living with a work on the wall is a great way to get to know it. If you like it more over time and visitors comment on it you have a winner. If you get tired of it and people pass it by, take it out and pick something else.

This little dog was hanging out at the central square in Aachen, Germany while his owner sold crafts at the market. The market was shutting down, there were things everywhere and he was leashed to a car bumper. Crouching down and composing just right created a whole different scene. Shoot with a Canon Rebel XT, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/80 sec. The "kit" 18-55mm lens at 39mm. He now hangs in the downstairs bathroom.