10) Depth of Field

A classic technique in the photographers kit bag, understanding of what it is and how to apply it and manipulate your aperture and composition to give you the results you want is crucial to a successful shot. In essence Depth of Field (DOF) is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. You can manipulate it using the aperture of your lens (or f stops) and also by where you place the camera in relation to your subject. As DOF increases with distance, the farther you are from your subject the greater the DOF and of course when you and your camera are close up as in macro photography your DOF is very small. Larger f stop numbers such as 11, 16, 22, 32 are the lenses minimum apertures (smallest amount of light entering the lens) and give the greatest DOF. The smaller f stop numbers such as 1.4, 2, 2.8 etc are the lens maximum apertures, and let the most light in, but give a smaller depth of field. So you can already realise the trade off for a large plane of focus or DOF is a small aperture, needing a high shutter speed and sometimes ISO to allow for it. This is where a tripod becomes our best friend, and allow you to create the ideal exposure for your shot. If you want to find out more, this is a good explanation, and i found a great number of examples on google images here! Good luck!