First off I'd like to thank everyone, I was surprised but really happy to win the last challenge. I've elected to host the next challenge myself so I apologise now if I make a complete hash of it but at least I won't have to do it.
I miss having an aperture ring on my camera now so that's where this challenge comes from :)
Do some of the camera settings intimidate you? Do you want to learn how to develop your photography skills and learn how to use your camera effectively without always going back to the “auto” function? These challenges are for you!
This week’s challenge is: Controlled Depth of Field
For this challenge you will need to understand what Depth of Field is and how to control it to use it effectively.
Depth of Field is simply the amount of your image which appears sharp or how much of your image appears sharp on either side of the plane of focus.
If you can control it you can use it creatively in your photography. Maybe you'd like front to back sharpness in your landscapes, make something stand out against a cluttered background, draw attention to detail or maximize your depth of field in a macro.
Depth of field is affected by a number of factors but the most important ones are the Aperture or f-number and the distance you are from your subject. The smaller the aperture you use then the more Depth of Field there will be however, the closer you get the more that will be reduced.
Some of you may already be thinking "What about focal length, wide angle for deep Depth of Field and long lenses for shallow ?"
Yes and no. If you want the subject to remain the same size in the frame when you change focal length you will have to move further from or closer to the subject and the actual Depth of Field will be about the same, so no, but if you're doing it purely for effect then yes.
It's also worth noting that in general photography Depth of Field is not evenly split but extends further behind than in front of the subject. The general rule is one third in front and two thirds behind so to maximise your depth of field it's sometimes beneficial to focus a third of the way in to a scene. When you get into close up photography it's a more even split.
Hyperfocal Distance could be a useful thing to know. This is the distance at which a lens can be focussed and render everything from half of that distance to infinity acceptably sharp meaning you can manually set focus and forget about it before you even leave the house. You probably won't find it marked on lenses any more but you can work it out.
Similarly, if street photography is your thing, you can calculate how much Depth of Field will be available for a given F Number and distance allowing you to pre-set your focus so you don't have to put your camera to your eye.
Last bit, you might think the easy way to get huge Depth of Field is to use the smallest aperture available, f22 or something, and it'll probably work but general purpose lenses don't perform at their best at the extremes of the range so careful focus could mean using an aperture with better performance. Macro lenses are slightly different as they are designed to be used at the small apertures necessary for close up work.
So this challenge will involve manual focusing and selecting appropriate aperture values, small apertures(larger f-number) for large DoF and large apertures (smaller f-number) for shallow DoF .
If you'd like to work out hyperfocal distances or just see what effect changing aperture or subject distance has there's a wee calculator here:
Apologies if I've rambled on, if anything isn't clear just ask but I might just ramble more.
Experienced photographers who are knowledgeable in this particular setting are encouraged to offer “kind and constructive” suggestions on the posted entries. Those entering this challenge want to learn and improve.
This challenge starts today, Saturday, October 6th, and will go through October 16th. All photos must be taken during these dates to be considered. Enter as many as you would like- the idea is to practice & learn. TAG YOUR PHOTO CSC-14 AND post your picture in this thread to receive feedback from other experienced photographers specific to this challenge.
I will then select the finalists and you will have 2 or 3 days to vote. The winner of the challenge will select an experienced photographer to host a new challenge. It is the winner’s option on who they want to host the next challenge; it may be someone they follow whose work they admire, or someone who is active offering suggestions on previous CSC challenges. The winner may also select an experienced photographer from the list of photographers who have agreed to host future challenges as another option. Here is the link to that list: http://365project.org/myhrhelper/365/2011-12-12
Expect to receive constructive suggestions on how to improve your skills.
How to post your photo on this link:
1) Go to your page that has the photo you wish to post.
2) Copy the “share” code in the bottom right section of that page.
3) Return to this thread and paste the code under comments
Have fun and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!!!
There were so many rails for the horses I couldn't really avoid them running into the horse so I chose a shallow DOF to place some of the rails in the background oof.
@mikehamm Nicely done, that could easily have been a shot of a horse with a pole sticking out of its head :)
@welcometocarolworld Both shots rely on their shallow depth of field to separate the subject from it's background. The flat lighting has worked against you a bit so the first one probably works better because of the texture in the stalk. Some nice sidelighting would transform that second one :)
@bananaholic That would have worked really well for this challenge but was taken and uploaded before the challenge started. The challenge runs until the16th of October so you still have plenty of time. Remember to tag other entries csc-14 to be included.
@sunshinephoto5 That's nice. You can see what the background is which is nice for context but it's soft enough not to detract from the detail of the fruit :)
@iqscotland Thanks so much......taken outdoors I am limited by the side lighting......which is a whole different learning curve for me. You told me what I expected> I so overthink everything.....
Shallow dof to focus on the drop, but not so shallow that a slight movement sends it out of focus. I'd ideally have liked a wider dof to show more of the flowers in the background (just a bit!) but to do that the shutter speed dropped too much to get a sharp shot. (And I couldn't be bothered to get my tripod. I'm such a bad photographer!!)
@fullcircle Your link doesn't work Cindy. On the page with the picture you want to include here look on the right hand side under where it says Share then copy the code in the box and paste it into a post here :)
I have been working on this shot for a couple of weeks. Almost have it the way I want. I am trying to get a little more dof in the flower branch without increasing dof on background. Those weeds just never grow exactly where you need them. :)
@aud_c This is a nice idea but I was drawn to the lemon stalks which aren't quite sharp. Depth of field at f1.8 and that close is only millimetres so you could easily close the lens down a few stops to get more depth but leave the background soft . The tip of the leaf looks sharp so your focus is maybe a little to far forward. Not a criticism of the shot itself .
@sjodell Fantastic close up, is it full frame or has it been cropped. Like Audrey you've chosen to shoot with the lens wide open so depth of field is minimal, if it's full frame then maybe only one or two millimetres, closing down a few stops would have brought the head into focus. I'm being really picky though and I'd be pretty happy with it.
@polarvrtx This is a really nice shot. Composition is great and there's a nice separation between the sharp leaf on the rock and the soft trees in the background. You could have got away with slightly more depth behind the leaf but that's me being picky again.
@hehe1308 I can rarely be bothered to use a tripod and when I carry a monopod, which is quite often, I mostly use it as a walking stick. I'm way worse than you :)
@dmdfday Not a bad first attempt, you've certainly got the idea. The bleached out bit is a bit distracting but the green background with the highlights works well.
@iqscotland I went back to to the same spot to find a more controlled subject. I think this is better than the "punkins". Thanks soooo much for the feedback. This is my classroom.......
@iqscotland Here are my questions. Your timing is perfect because I've been thinking about this. I am sure this is a stupid question but I'm learning so much. When you put a camera in "manual focus" does that override all other focus settings or do they affect the dof? If I put it on a larger aperture verses a smaller aperture but use manual focus will those apertures effect the dof? Also, when using manual focus does the AF Tracking mode (single, 11 pts, etc.) get changed and does that effect the dof? These are all areas I know very little about and have just been playing with but not completely understanding.
@welcometocarolworld This does work better than the pumpkins. The lighting is better, you can see the improvement in contrast and more saturated colours which helps the Asters stand out more from the background. There's a stray out of focus bloom in the foreground, if you notice it, but the amount of depth of field is nice.
@myhrhelper I'm just leaving for work so I'll have to be brief for just now. When you use manual focus the only thing that affects focus is you turning the ring. Focus tracking etc may still be "on" but they won't do anything or affect depth of field. There may be focus confirmation in the viewfinder if you use a single focus point.
Aperture always affects DoF, how you focus doesn't make any dfifference but where you focus does.
@iqscotland YOU ABSOLUTELY ROCK! I have learned so much by application in this challenge, and your comments to the others. I would love for to you to create your own "critiques corner". I am not intimidated to put my picture out there for review to you, and your work so far this week has been amazing. Thank you for your time.
I have no shame when it comes to getting what I want from a shot...laying in wet grass while my dog looked mildly embarrassed...tried to do this same shot the day before only to have him step on that mushroom right before I hit the shutter button...
@henrir There are probably apps available. The calculator is very simple it should work on most smart phones and the page could just be saved onto a phone and still work.
@debrac Lots of nice colours and textures at this time of year though. Your depth of field is heading towards the shallow side but there's probably just enough. The subject does stand out quite well against the background though. As the back ground is quite far away you could have used a smaller aperture without affecting the background but if you were hand holding I can see why you went this way and you've done well.
This is my first attempt quick attempt. I plan to really give this one my whole attention since I know I need to understand the DOF so much better. Unfortunately when I put this in a collage all the stats of the settings get lost - I don't remember what settings these were but I played alot with the aperture in attempt to change the DOF.
I know this isn't the most "awe"some shot, it's my first playing with the settings shot
@welcometocarolworld Thanks Carol. I'm a bit wary of hurting peoples feelings so I've tried to keep my comments relative the technical aspect of the challenge, it's not a competition and I don't want people to think I'm judging.
@myhrhelper Those two shots look quite close up. Your DoF is going to be quite shallow so even when you stop the lens down it won't increase greatly. I understand what you're trying to do but something a bit further away might make it easier. A row of trees, a fence line or just some household items laid out in a line so you can focus on one and bring others into focus by selecting a different aperture or moving your focus point.
I suppose part of the difficulty with Depth of Field is that you can't see it through the viewfinder. The DoF you see is what you would get if you shot at the maximum aperture.
@nadaa These are nice and show an understanding of what DoF is about. I think the leaf is the better of the two especially as an example of controlling depth of field. You could have used a smaller aperture and still kept the background nicely out of focus which would have given you a bit of leeway if the leaf was moving a little and put you in a better performing area of the lens.
@mikehamm That's a nice background and the colours are quite striking. The top of the sage is really crisp but you can see as it deepens F8 isn't quite enought to keep everthing in focus. It's a compromise you sometimes have to make and it still works well.
Are you using a Micro Nikkor too ?
@grammyn There's a lot of purple around just now. The Powershot you are using has a much smaller sensor than a DSLR which means, after you've done the maths, you have a lot more depth of field available. On the one hand you will find it more difficult to get a really out of focus background but on the other you'll find it easier to get close ups, like flowers, or big landscapes all in focus :)
Todays exercise was in shallow dof and distance from lens. Both shot have a little noise reduction but no other processing.
This first shot was f/3.5 and 12" from sensor.
The second shot is f/3.3 and 19" from sensor.
The dof on the first photo is too shallow but I like the dof on the second photo. The angle of the flower in the first also affected how the dof looks.
@lstasel These are both great, nice and sharp with well saturated colours. I like negative space but I'm not sure it works in the first one. If you cropped it to a square it will emphasize the wee petals you've focused on. They're a little lost just now. I'd still be happy with either of them
Here is another go at these settings.
Thank you in advance @iqscotland for all your suggestions & feedback! We are all learning so much and I'm so glad you went with this topic for the challenge!
That's one thing about this site I love. I am learning so much. I usually learn through experimenting but have no clue on how things are called. I really like this Depth of Field thing because it can add or focus more on the subject you're working on.
Haven't got much on 365 yet but I guess this is one of them:
@wenbow Theses both show good use of shallow depth of field. The second one for me is the more interesting. The apple has clear focus while the background gives you a feeling of the location but is still unobtrusive.
@myhrhelper Your leaves are in focus and the background is nicely blurred. The branch running up the middle is a bit distracting though. While it's quite soft it's also dark in a predominantly light scene so it's quite noticeable. I'm guessing f5.6 is your maximum aperture at 55mm. If you were closer, your depth would have been shallower, you might have needed to stop down a little more,and the background would be relatively further away too. Hope I explained that OK.
@ragnhildmorland This is really nice and despite all the green the leaves still dominate. Lighting is nicely handled too.
@jannkc You can clearly make out the plane of focus in both of these. The texture is great on the firewood but I think it really needs something , a bright leaf maybe, to stand out against that soft, dark background.
@skipt07 I like how you've framed the toadstools. The stray grass in the foreground is a little distracting, hold it down with your finger or use a little twig or something just to keep it out of the way. Depth of field is nice though, you can just make out the other toadstools but they don't compete.
Hi, A very dumb question from a brand newbie, but how do I post an image into this reply text box? I have several shots on this theme I'd like your critique on. Thanks! Frank.
@frankhymus Go to the page with your shot on it. On the right hand side, under where it says Share, you'll see a box with some text in it. Copy the text then paste it into a post in this thread :)
It was very windy. The pole was a-shaking and so was I, thus the very fast shutter speed and the compensating ISO. f/5.6 is the lowest my basic kit lens allows, and this was as close as I could get without a ladder or step stool.
Same windy morning. Glad I had the patience to wait for the handles to basically align.
(Thanks for pointing me to the HTML reference box.)
Here was another chance to try a shallow DOF, an improvement on my leaf, I think! I did some other post processing too, but only fixing color and the vignetting. Don't know if that still counts or not!
@frankhymus Your road signs do stand out quite well against the background. If you could have moved closer you could have reduced the depth of field and increased the separation. You could also I have used a shorter focal length being closer which would also have allowed you to use a wider aperture.Remember your depth of field runs parallel to the film/sensor plane so a wide aperture would be ok for the top sign but the bottom one is more perpendicular so would need a smaller aperture to keep it all sharp.
The first out of focus swing handle is a bit distracting but the rest are lined up nicely as a pattern shot so your patience paid off.
Tag your shots csc-14 so they're included with the rest of the shots for this challenge and so others can find them too.
@jannkc The grass is nicely focussed. The background is quite busy and a similar tone to your main subject but you're close enough that your choice of f5.6 is shallow enough to so soften the background and let the grass stand out.
@dmdfday Nice use of a small aperture to to keep the relatively distant background identifiable. You could probably have used a slightly wider aperture and brought your ISO down a bit. You'd lose a bit of DoF but gain a little clarity in the background. The shape of the grasses is nicely echoed by the trees behind.
@trieps This is very close, or cropped from a larger image, DoF is shallow but I like how you've placed it where the occupants would be :)
@iqscotland The photo was taken very close, and it was really raining (but it was worth it) and not cropped from a larger picture. The occupants went for a nice hot chocolate... ;-)
@dmdfday You've gone for a lot of depth again and the distant tree tops look sharp. There's a little softness right at the front but that that could be a little movement. Blur from subject movement is more apparent the closer it is, it'll be easier to tell from the original. If it's out of focus you could try focussing a little closer. When you use small apertures the depth of field can extend beyond the most distant part of your shot, the tree tops here, so it's just wasted and focussing closer lets you use more of it.
Great colours though, and you've picked nice lighting to make the most of them :)
@dmdfday The timber shot( decking?) is nice. The foreground is nice and sharp and using a wide angle(18mm) lens has the trees towering above. A wider aperture would have seen the DoF fall off more noticably but the compostion is nice, quite precise, as it relies on pattern rather than what it actually is.
You haven't tagged either of them :)
Eventually (hopefully soon) I will purchase a lens that gives a nice large aperture such as f1.8 f3 I know I won't have a lot of money to spend and I also would like to use it for portraits. Would a 50mm be the best suggestion that would help with aperture and DOF?
Right now I have 2 lens, the 18-55 and the 55-200.
@iqscotland just saw this thread and thought of a photo I took a couple of days ago. Hoping that I understood the challenge. Critique away as I am eager to learn.
@sianipops You've understood it quite well. You have one clearly defined subject with an out of focus foreground and background. Is this a row of things with a gap between each one ? The depth of field falls off very quickly but the flattening effect of the long focal length keeps them nicely bunched together.
If you want to use tags with multiple words put them in inverted commas :)
@myhrhelper Fast lenses are not cheap so look at what sort of focal length you use most often and how often you will actually use a large aperture before thinking of spending a lot of money. 50 mm lenses have been around for years, that's what used to come fitted as standard, so they can be relatively cheap but perform well and will come with a larger aperture than you will have been used to, probably about 2 stops. On a DX /Crop Sensor they act as a short telephoto which would be useable for portraits but I can't really help you there because I don't do people :)
People don't buy fast lenses to get shallow depth of field. The primary reason is the improved light gathering ability for shooting in low light and don't forget the brighter image you'll get in the viewfinder.
I'm sure ten and a bit days have passed since the challenge was started so it's now complete. I'll try and work out how I'm going to select a few to be voted on and post my choices soon. You'll have a few days to vote then it'll be someone else's turn. Thanks for taking part :)
@iqscotland I have been very grateful to you for doing this challenge! What a great job you did and I especially appreciated the open & honest feedback. I think too often other photographers are afraid to say what they think because they don't want to offend but then we don't grow. That is what these challenges are all about. I still need to learn more about DOF and spend more time with it long after this challenge ends.
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Here is my first entry.
This is my photo ;)).
i played with dof a lot for this shoot. a different shot is in my 365 album.
Punkin Heaven (raised the f-stop a bit, faithful, manual focus on the stem only to increase the dof....)
Punkin-mania, (raised the f-stop a bit, faithful, increased manual focus on front pumpkin to flatten the dof....)
@welcometocarolworld Both shots rely on their shallow depth of field to separate the subject from it's background. The flat lighting has worked against you a bit so the first one probably works better because of the texture in the stalk. Some nice sidelighting would transform that second one :)
This is f/11, 1/400 (about .5 stop underexposed).
My first attempt to set the aperture
@sjodell Fantastic close up, is it full frame or has it been cropped. Like Audrey you've chosen to shoot with the lens wide open so depth of field is minimal, if it's full frame then maybe only one or two millimetres, closing down a few stops would have brought the head into focus. I'm being really picky though and I'd be pretty happy with it.
@salza Very nicely done, including some foliage at the bottom is a great touch.
@ash0922 Nice find and the background is great. You've not tagged it and it looks like the time is wrong on your camera ;)
@dmdfday Not a bad first attempt, you've certainly got the idea. The bleached out bit is a bit distracting but the green background with the highlights works well.
Mum-fied....
105mm micro, f/5.6, 1/80 sec., handheld in heavy shade.
Aperture always affects DoF, how you focus doesn't make any dfifference but where you focus does.
I know this isn't the most "awe"some shot, it's my first playing with the settings shot
DOF shallow enough to completely blur the background but enough to get the curves of the leaf. The image is SOOC.
I suppose part of the difficulty with Depth of Field is that you can't see it through the viewfinder. The DoF you see is what you would get if you shot at the maximum aperture.
Are you using a Micro Nikkor too ?
This first shot was f/3.5 and 12" from sensor.
The second shot is f/3.3 and 19" from sensor.
The dof on the first photo is too shallow but I like the dof on the second photo. The angle of the flower in the first also affected how the dof looks.
Thank you in advance @iqscotland for all your suggestions & feedback! We are all learning so much and I'm so glad you went with this topic for the challenge!
Haven't got much on 365 yet but I guess this is one of them:
@jannkc You can clearly make out the plane of focus in both of these. The texture is great on the firewood but I think it really needs something , a bright leaf maybe, to stand out against that soft, dark background.
@skipt07 I like how you've framed the toadstools. The stray grass in the foreground is a little distracting, hold it down with your finger or use a little twig or something just to keep it out of the way. Depth of field is nice though, you can just make out the other toadstools but they don't compete.
It was very windy. The pole was a-shaking and so was I, thus the very fast shutter speed and the compensating ISO. f/5.6 is the lowest my basic kit lens allows, and this was as close as I could get without a ladder or step stool.
Same windy morning. Glad I had the patience to wait for the handles to basically align.
(Thanks for pointing me to the HTML reference box.)
@btorrey This is very nice and a different interpretation of the challenge :)
The first out of focus swing handle is a bit distracting but the rest are lined up nicely as a pattern shot so your patience paid off.
Tag your shots csc-14 so they're included with the rest of the shots for this challenge and so others can find them too.
@trieps This is very close, or cropped from a larger image, DoF is shallow but I like how you've placed it where the occupants would be :)
Great colours though, and you've picked nice lighting to make the most of them :)
You haven't tagged either of them :)
Right now I have 2 lens, the 18-55 and the 55-200.
@iqscotland just saw this thread and thought of a photo I took a couple of days ago. Hoping that I understood the challenge. Critique away as I am eager to learn.
If you want to use tags with multiple words put them in inverted commas :)
People don't buy fast lenses to get shallow depth of field. The primary reason is the improved light gathering ability for shooting in low light and don't forget the brighter image you'll get in the viewfinder.