Essential Topic and Exercise: Aperture and Depth of Field (Depth of Focus)

 Supplemental resources:


Camera Controls Powerpoint


The Canon Camera Simulator




Deep depth of field. Achieve with small aperture and/or wider angle lens.


Shallow depth of field. Achieve with wide aperture and/or longer (telephoto) lens.


Lens with adjustable aperture 


Typical range f-stops

Explore depth-of-field using Aperture Priority Mode. 

Nikon: use "A" mode
Canon: use "Av" mode
Other brands: ask instructor

Aperture Priority allows the photographer to choose the aperture, while  the camera automatically adjusts shutter speed for optimal exposure.

Shoot in fairly bright conditions to ensure adequate exposure, or use higher ISO.
  • Set camera to Aperture Priority
  • Find a situation where there is a distinct foreground object and the background is far away.
  • Set camera to manual focus.   Focus on the foreground subject for all variations. 
  • Use a medium-to-long focal length setting (55mm or higher). Avoid wide angle. Instead zoom in and step back. 
  • Create a depth of field set for your subject(s).
    • Shoot the image three times, varying the apertures, but keeping everything else the same. Focus on the foreground subject for all variations. 
    • A set should have f-stops similar to the following:
    1. Shallow depth of field. f4 or wider aperture(f2.8, f1.4 okay)
    2. Medium depth of field. Use f8
    3. Deep depth of field. f16 or smaller aperture (f22 okay)

In the examples below, we see the same subject, focus and framing, but with different depths of field. How does this affect the image? Which do you prefer? Why?


f4.0


f18





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