Canon® EOS Digital Photography Photo Workshop

3.4. CONSIDERING THE DEPTH OF FIELD FACTOR

Learning depth of field and how to control it is one of the single most important aspects of photography. This is what separates you from the point-and-shoot crowd, and this is what allows you to control the exposure rather than allowing the camera to do it. One of the first steps in becoming a serious photographer is to get that camera out of full Auto mode and learn to use DOF. Here are several important concepts to remember:

Figure 3-14. I wanted more of a soft focus effect in this image of a bride looking out the window just before her wedding. Taken with an EOS-1Ds Mark II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/8, 580EX Speedlite. ©Jim White

• The smaller the aperture, the deeper the DOF (the other two factors remaining the same). For example, if the lens focal length and the shooting distance stay the same, the DOF is much deeper at f/16 than at f/1.4.

• The shorter the focal length of the lens, the deeper the DOF (the other two factors remaining the same). For example, comparing a 28mm lens with a 50mm lens at the same aperture and shooting distance, the DOF is deeper with the 28mm lens.

• The greater the shooting distance, the deeper the DOF (the other two factors remaining the same). For example, if the same subject is photographed from 10 feet and then from 20 feet away, the zone of sharpness in the foreground and background ...