2023 is off to a flying start and we're already easing into March! We're finding ourselves looking forward to a change in seasons and the clocks springing forward, bringing longer days and some much-needed colour to the post-winter landscape here in Canada.
We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for being a part of the community, supporting each other, and submitting entries to last month's theme. We loved looking at your entries and have picked six finalists, which you can review below. (You can also check out all of February's Black and White theme entries here.)
And now, we'd like to introduce our March theme...."Depth of Field"
With so many talented photographers in the 365 community, we're always spotting beautiful images that cleverly work with depth of field, which is a skill that most photographers would love to master!
Learning how to set up a shot and use depth of field can take your photography to another level! From taking stunning portrait shots to working with depth to draw attention to a specific topic in the frame, depth of field is a powerful tool to have in your kit.
Each year we launch this theme with a reminder of the typical ways to increase or shorten your depth of field:
To decrease depth of field, for a "shallow" look, try:
- Widening your aperture (use a smaller f-number)
- Moving closer to the subject
- Creating more distance between the subject and the background features
- Lengthening your focal length.
To increase depth of field, for a "deeper" look, simply try the opposite:
- Narrowing your aperture (larger f-number)
- Moving farther from the subject
- Reducing the distance between the subject and the background
- Shortening focal length.
While some of you will know these rules inside out, some might find our blog post about aperture a useful read!
Whatever your level of experience, we've recycled a few ideas from last years Depth of Field theme to inspire your photography throughout March:-
1. Use Shallow Depth of Field for Portraits
Play with getting that emotion-packed portrait by controlling your depth. By getting closer to your subject and making sure they're not too close to something in the background, you'll find it easier to create that blurry-background look which makes a person pop. Using the rule of thirds to create a pleasing composition usually works well, but isn't essential!
Whether you're shooting on a smartphone, or SLR, the tips above are pretty universal. Take this a step further by researching how to choose the ideal lens and adjust your focal length as well as your aperture.
Another #TopTip: Focus on the eyes, to really create an engaging photograph for your audience!
We especially love this fun shot by @phil_howcroft, who has just finished their third 100 Strangers project.
2. Use Deep Depth of Field for Landscapes
Remember that broadly speaking, depth of field refers to the zone of acceptable sharpness within a photo that will appear in focus. Therefore, in contrast to wanting to make a portrait pop, when capturing a vast landscape we want a sharp focus across the whole scene!
Typically higher aperture settings will serve you best. If you have a gorgeous landscape and want to capture movement you can also pack your tripod and play with your shutter speed for a long exposure.
We love the detail captured by @exposure4u in this warm and glowing sunset shot, with crisp mountain backdrops and the soft, flowing waterfall in the foreground.
3. Play with Bokeh (boh-ke)
While bokeh is the Japanese translation for 'blur', shallow depth of field refers to the part of the image that is acceptably sharp, whereas bokeh refers to the quality of the background and foreground blur, whether it is smooth or harsh.
We most commonly associate bokeh photography with that softened effect on twinkling lights, as shown in @mona65's photo below.
While your lens will play a role in the outcome, you can follow similar steps for our first tip, to achieve a shallow depth of field, as well as making sure there are some small light sources in the background. This is a great place to start when it comes to playing with bokeh!
4. Make Macros Pop with Shallow Depth of Field
Using the same tips as what we've suggested for portraits, you can also get some great macro shots which really make a subject stand out!
We love this shot by @kipper1951!
5. Play with Depth to Tell a Story
Using shallow depth of field doesn't always have to be about making the subject in the foreground the only thing in the spotlight! There's a lot of fun to be had in making sure the foreground and background tell parts of the story. By using shallow depth of field to catch someone's immediate attention, you can draw people in to an equally important subject in the background.
@Weezilou's photo is a lovely example of this!
6. Have Fun with Composition for a Great POV (Point of View) Shot!
Using shallow depth of field doesn't always have to be about making the subject in the foreground the only thing in the spotlight! There's a lot of fun to be had in making sure the foreground and background tell parts of the story. By using shallow depth of field to catch someone's immediate attention, you can draw people in to an equally important subject in the background.
We love this bright and playful photograph by @mona65!
It's not the easiest skill to learn (or explain in one blog post), so if you're still scratching your head about how different settings can be used to achieve different effects, this post at Digital Photography School is a great guide for beginners.
But, wherever you're at, we hope you have fun playing with a few ideas and trying something new. We can't wait to see your entries!
How to enter the March theme
When uploading your photos use the tag section (on the edit/organise screen) and insert this week's theme tag: theme-depth
Entry Guidelines: Photos must be your own and must have been taken and uploaded between Wednesday, March 1st and Friday, March 31st. 6 finalists will be chosen in the first couple of days of April, then you'll get to vote for the winner!
p.s. Don't worry if you spot tagged photos from a previous theme, when choosing our six finalists we'll use a filter to only view images from March 2023.
Vote for a Winner of February's "Black and White" Theme
We had a blast looking through all of your entries for the “Black and White” theme. Lots of you took part in the Flash of Red community challenge as well, which is awesome!
With SO many entries, it was really tough to choose just 6 finalists, but now it's over to you to vote for the winner of February's Black and White theme.
To cast your vote, just reply to this blog post with the number (in digit form) of the photo you would like to see win, before March 15th. We’ll announce the winner in a separate post shortly after!
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Honored to be included amongst the finalists!
Thanks so much for including mine
Thankyou for including mine😊