Depth of Field

Depth of Field refers to the distance around an object that appears in focus in the frame or photograph. The depth of field that a photographer chooses to enhance a given picture is an entirely subjective choice, depending on the aspects he wishes to enhance within the given frame.

Three factors play a hand in determining or affecting depth of field: the lensaperture (how open the lens is), the length of lens being used and the object’s size (the later includes the distance the object is away from the photographer).

The closer an object is to the lens, the less depth of field will appear in the resulting photograph. Conversely, placing the camera at a distance from the object being photographed will create a greater depth of field. For example, landscape shots tend to have greater depths of field while portraits have minimal depths of field.

Similarly, smaller lens apertures (lens with smaller diameters) and shorter lens lengths both create more broad depths of field.

When looking at a picture, you can recognize its depth of field by noticing where the photo becomes blurry and unfocused. The outer fuzzy edges pinpoint where the picture loses its depth of field.