Creative Controls, F-Stops & Depth of Field

landscape photo typically should have both the foreground and the background in sharp focus. The foreground is actually

20mm Nikkor F 16

50mm Nikkor F 2.0

50mm Nikkor F 11.00

A

more critical as it is what initially draws the viewer's eye and pulls it into the photo. Think about it, we are accustomed to seeing near objects more clearly than objects far away. Standing out doors you can clearly see the ground in front of you, while objects on the horizon are hazy.

For the photo of the boat, a 20mm lens was used. The F-stop was 16 with a focus distance of 3 feet. The resulting depth of field was from 1.7 feet to infinity. To further emphasize the boat in the foreground the camera height was approximately one foot above the ground.

F-stops determine the depth of field. The larger the F-stop number the larger the amount in focus. A lens set at F16 will produce more in focus than the same lens set at F4.

Another factor that affects depth of field is distance from the camera to the subject. Depth of field decreases as the camera moves closer to the subject.

The maximum amount of depth of field is achieved by using the largest f-number on the lens, typically F22 or F32. However lenses are not as sharp at their largest f-number as they are one or two numbers smaller.

F16 is a good compromise between sharpness and depth of field. The table demonstrates the depth of field available at F16 for various focal lengths. Notice that a small amount of foreground focus can be gained by focusing the lens at a shorter distance than infinity known as Hyperfocal Focusing. Most prime lenses have a hyperfocal scale on their lens barrel as an aid for adjusting for maximum focus. It is why we still use prime lenses instead of zooms.

For those of you shooting zooms use the table as a guide.

Enjoy,

Mike and Tammy Rice

Depth of Field

Infinity Focus

Hyperfocal Focus

Lens

Aperture

Focused Distance

Depth of Field

Focused Distance

Depth of Field

20mm

F 16

Infinity

3.0’-Infinity

3.0’

1.7’-Infinity

24mm

F 16

Infinity

4.0’-Infinity

5.0’

2.4’-Infinity

28mm

F 16

Infinity

5.3’-Infinity

9.0’

3.0’-Infinity

35mm

F 16

Infinity

8.3’-Infinity

15.0’

5.5’-Infinity

60mm

F 16

Infinity

22.0’-Infinity

Infinity

Infinity

105mm

F 16

Infinity

67.0’-Infinity

Infinity

Infinity
Changing the weather

“ the nik Color Efex Sunshine filter was used to convert the scene from a dull overcast day to a bright sunny one”
Converting a Color Image to Black and White

“The magic in this technique is the use of two separate black and white conversions, one for the sky, and one for the trees.”
Creative Controls F-stops & Depth of Field

Another factor that affects depth of field is distance from the camera to the subject. Depth of field decreases as the camera moves closer to the subject.
Digital Film Tools 55mm; Photoshop plug-in review

“The bragging rights for Digital Film Tools is that the means of producing the masks is more intuitive, flexible, and powerful than Photoshop CS.”
Grain Surgery for Photoshop - Review

“the noise is removed, yet the details remain”
How to Improve the Image Quality of your Camera

By using a tripod, slower shutter speeds can be utilized allowing the aperture of the lens to be stopped down increasing depth of field
Lens choices for landscape photography

“The wide-angle perspective ... gives the viewer the impression they could walk into the photo”
Becoming a student of Light and Color- Part 1 - Quaility of Light

“I changed, from a photographer that photographs what he finds, to one that starts with a vision and then goes out to produce an image that matches the vision.”
Becoming a student of Light and Color- Part 2- Light , Color, and Composition

“a color only takes on importance when considered relative to the other colors surrounding it."
Long Lens Landscapes

“I am always willing to try for that image with the “wow factor”, and long lenses are definitely an unordinary if not extraordinary way to capture grand landscapes.”

Canadian North Atlantic Coast

“Stories were told of quaint fishing villages virtually untouched since the turn of the 19th century, surrounded by landscapes from seemingly lost worlds.”

Nik Color efect Pro - Photoshop Plug-in Review

“Unlike so many other plug-ins for Photoshop, the nik Multimedia Color Efex Pro filters are truly useful.”
Nikon Capture nx-first look

"What is needed is a raw converter with an extensive enough set of imaging tools that a second program like Photoshop is not required."
Photoshop tips and techniques -An introduction to 5 great plug-ins

“It’s all about color...What caught her eye was the contrast between the yellow tree, the glowing red rocks, and the cool blue base.”
Photoshop tips and techniques -A watercolor effect from the unlikely pairing of two third party plug-ins

“I look for subjects that move me emotionally...When I got the slides back however, the magic was missing”

Painting with Light -A Photoshop tutorial

“most images need at least one of their elements to be pure black, meaning black with no detail, and need at least one of their elements to be pure white meaning white with no detail”
Basic Photoshop for photographers - Part 1

"Today we are making images that we could not even have dreamed of making before"
Basic Photoshop for photographers -Part 2

"Always use a separate layer this allows mistakes to be erased at any time"
Segmentis Fo2PiX buZZ review

"The user has control over how much detail is removed. One can choose to remove detail in the highlights, shadows, or both"
The Filters we use and why

"The question I often hear is “do you still use lens filters”. The answer is yes, because there still is no substitute for capturing the image properly."
The Gas Station- The story behind a picture

“I wanted the picture to interact with the viewer, to encourage the viewer to explore”
Waiting for the right light

"Planning for the light means selecting the time of year and the time of day"
Tutorials and Reviews Index