Nature Photography Photo Workshop

6.4. DEPTH OF FIELD FOR LANDSCAPES

Depth of field (DOF) is the range of distance in a photo that appears to be in sharp focus. The aperture and focal length used are the primary factors that determine DOF (see 6-12).

For most grand scenic photographs, having sharp focus from near to far is essential. Though there are exceptions (discussed in Chapter 7 with regard to selective focus), in a wide-angle landscape shot when some elements are sharp and others are not, viewers usually become distracted.

This means that the elements in the frame that are nearest the camera should appear to be the same sharpness as those at the farthest distance visible in the frame. To get maximum sharpness throughout the frame you need to handle two factors: focusing distance and depth of field.

Set the focus first, and then choose your aperture.

NOTE

Depth of field is a creative decision and one of your most important choices when composing nature photographs. Whether everything is in focus is up to you. Because depth of field is one of the first decisions to make when you're setting up a shot, you should work in Aperture Priority mode, at least starting out, so that you choose the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed for the optimal exposure. After determining the optimal aperture and shutter speed, you can switch to Manual exposure mode for maximum control.

6.4.1. SETTING FOCUS

After you've created your composition, the next thing to do is determine focusing distance. The distance at which ...