In part one of this series, we talked about the rule of thirds. If you're not familiar with this technique, you can always go back and read the article. In this installment, we'll talk about depth of field.
Depth of field is the zone of focus in your picture. Even with the simplest digital cameras, you'll have a method to use to control what's in focus in your photograph. Most advanced 35mm film cameras have a depth of field preview button on them to let you observe the zone of focus before you take the picture. Only a very high end (read expensive!) digital cameras have this feature.
You have two things at your control to make a good exposure with your camera: shutter speed and F/stop or aperature. To sum it up, these two features control the intensity of light and the duration of light. The F/stop is your main control for depth of field, but the shutter speed will come into play also.
If you'd like more area to be in focus, you need a small F/stop. To confuse matters, smaller F/stops have larger numbers. F/16 is a smaller opening than F/4. Much more will be in focus with the lens at F/16 than at F/4. If you use F/16, which is a small portal to let light into the camera, you have to let it in for longer duration. This is when shutter speed comes in. Keep in mind that 1/60th of a second is a longer amount of time than 1/250th of a second.
If a picture would be perfectly exposed at F/4 for 1/250th of a second, you could change your combination to F/16 and 1/60th of a second to get the same exposure. Even though the exposure would be the same for both pictures, the amount of area in focus in the photograph would be much more with the F/16 setting. You probably won't be able to preview the depth of field, but you'll see the results in seconds on the camera screen after you snap the picture.
If the reading on your camera screen says F/4 and you want more depth of field, use the control to lower the shutter speed. Have the camera in the "shutter priority" mode. This is either "S" or "Tv" on the control dial. When you lower the shutter speed, the F/stop will go up and increase the depth of field for you. Most experts agree that 1/60th of a second is the most amount of time to use for handheld pictures. If it's on a tripod, you can ignore this to some degree.
If you keep in mind that you're playing with light in photography, you'll understand the concepts much better. How much light and for what duration is the basics of photography. Control this and you can control depth of field. It may sound difficult, but once you do it, it'll be automatic.
The more you learn about photography, the better chance you have of taking beautiful pictures. There are many techniques involved to master the craft of photography. If you'd like to learn more and produce better photos, click here: [http://tinyurl.com/digcam2]
Depth of field is the zone of focus in your picture. Even with the simplest digital cameras, you'll have a method to use to control what's in focus in your photograph. Most advanced 35mm film cameras have a depth of field preview button on them to let you observe the zone of focus before you take the picture. Only a very high end (read expensive!) digital cameras have this feature.
You have two things at your control to make a good exposure with your camera: shutter speed and F/stop or aperature. To sum it up, these two features control the intensity of light and the duration of light. The F/stop is your main control for depth of field, but the shutter speed will come into play also.
If you'd like more area to be in focus, you need a small F/stop. To confuse matters, smaller F/stops have larger numbers. F/16 is a smaller opening than F/4. Much more will be in focus with the lens at F/16 than at F/4. If you use F/16, which is a small portal to let light into the camera, you have to let it in for longer duration. This is when shutter speed comes in. Keep in mind that 1/60th of a second is a longer amount of time than 1/250th of a second.
If a picture would be perfectly exposed at F/4 for 1/250th of a second, you could change your combination to F/16 and 1/60th of a second to get the same exposure. Even though the exposure would be the same for both pictures, the amount of area in focus in the photograph would be much more with the F/16 setting. You probably won't be able to preview the depth of field, but you'll see the results in seconds on the camera screen after you snap the picture.
If the reading on your camera screen says F/4 and you want more depth of field, use the control to lower the shutter speed. Have the camera in the "shutter priority" mode. This is either "S" or "Tv" on the control dial. When you lower the shutter speed, the F/stop will go up and increase the depth of field for you. Most experts agree that 1/60th of a second is the most amount of time to use for handheld pictures. If it's on a tripod, you can ignore this to some degree.
If you keep in mind that you're playing with light in photography, you'll understand the concepts much better. How much light and for what duration is the basics of photography. Control this and you can control depth of field. It may sound difficult, but once you do it, it'll be automatic.
The more you learn about photography, the better chance you have of taking beautiful pictures. There are many techniques involved to master the craft of photography. If you'd like to learn more and produce better photos, click here: [http://tinyurl.com/digcam2]
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