Why shallow depth of field

But, to put it simply, depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photograph that appears acceptably sharp and in focus. Portraits , macro photographs , and wildlife photography are often shot with a shallow DoF.

The following images are examples of photos with shallow depth of field. As you can see, a very small plane of each photo is in focus. On the contrary, here is an image with a large or deep depth of field you can use focus peaking , where most of the image is in focus. This is often the goal of landscape photography :. There are several different ways to achieve a shallow DoF in your photographs. The easiest way to achieve a shallow DoF is to use a lens with a wide aperture , or low f-stop — the lower the better.

Focal length also comes into play. Longer lenses will generally produce a shallower DoF and it can be difficult to get a shallow DoF from an ultra-wide lens. Larger sensors, like those in full-frame cameras, will create shallower depth of field than crop-sensor cameras. Lastly, the closer you and your camera are to your subject, the shallower the DoF will be. What is depth of field? It's the area of the image that appears sharp in front and behind the main subject.

Essentially, the depth of field refers to how blurry or sharp the area around your subjects appears on the camera. Increasing the aperture or decreasing the f-stop can help to achieve the shallow depth of field. Sometimes, we can also achieve this effect by changing the camera's distance and the subject and adjusting the focal length accordingly.

If the camera is closer to the subject in question, parts of the image will be blurred, resulting in a smaller depth of field, or narrower area of focus.

Similarly, a longer focal length, can also create background blur. The closer your subject is to the camera, the shallower your depth of field will be - because this creates a blur in the background and allows more focus on your subject.

For better shallow focus, if you have a longer lens, you have yourself an advantage. Longer lenses allow shallower depth of field. If your camera can interchange lenses, 85mm is a long enough lens for capturing shots with shallow focus. What is Shallow Depth of Field used for? In cinematography, shallow depth of field is used for a variety of reasons like:. A shallow depth of field contrasts with a deep depth of field , where the entire shot, from foreground to background, remains in focus.

Deep depth of field effects are common in landscape photography, where detail is a key compositional element. Plenty of photographers love shallow depth of field effects — for two big reasons:. Often, a shallow depth of field is a stylistic choice, one that certain photographers tend to prefer and other photographers like to avoid. Think of it as giving your background more room to blur.

The depth of field remains the same regardless it depends on other factors that I discuss below. But bringing your subject forward increases the appearance of a shallow depth of field and gives you a near-equivalent effect.

These days, most beginner cameras include a little wheel on top with lots of little icons on it — the Mode dial. And on certain beginner models, the Mode dial will feature Scene modes, such as Landscape, Night, Sports, etc. Generally, one of these modes is Portrait. And if you do want to gain more control, check out the next method of creating shallow depth of field:. Portrait mode will automatically widen your aperture.