The promised post, almost like waiting for the promised land.
November 17th 2008 04:12
shallow depth of field
This post is very much overdue and I apologize for that, I have had so many problems lately and I simply did not have the time or inclination to do it, although I promised I would quite some time ago.
Many of you just like looking at the pictures and there have been some quite remarkable ones there, others take on my suggestions and really try to improve their own photography, and yet others again are seriously looking at becoming photographers themselves and earning a living from it.
We all know of well established photographers with very definite artistic inspiration but to become one of those many will find they have to wait until their reputation and collection is well established and if you don稚 want to serve at tables, do cleaning jobs, become a bus driver etc in the interim you may well choose to become a press photographer which will bring in the daily bread and, I think, quite nicely.
This post, today, delves more deeply into apertures, f stops and depth of field, all three of which are intricately linked as many of you will know by now.
Perhaps I should start with this rather uninteresting photo but it is one which shows quite clearly the different effects of the use of aperture settings, which controls both the depth of field and the f stop, or rather I should say the f stop is critical to all three.
You値l see the settings there on the lenses I have reproduced.
The next image is one with which you may be familiar already but a gentle reminder does no harm and is always good for new readers.
You'll notice the focus to the front is very clear.
Remember, smaller apertures, larger f stops and visa versa, and smaller f stops, larger apertures and smaller depth of field.
The f stops control the focal length which is the distance between the camera and the subject.
The f stop regulates how much light is allowed through the lens by varying the area of the hole the light comes through.
The full f-stops are 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45, etc.
Also remember that the f stops controls the amount of light that the camera lets in.
The lower the aperture number, the more light a lens lets in, which allows for higher shutter speeds, less camera shake, less need for flash and if you do use a flash you have more options.
This following neat little diagram shows clearly the link between f stops and apertures.
This particular photographer used the following combination of settings when he took this cat.
Camera = Canon 20D
Lens = Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro
Shutter = 1/1250 second
Aperture = f/4.5
Focal Length = 100mm
Exp Comp = -1.0 ev
Flash = off
ISO = 800
This waterfall was taken using a shutter speed to about 800 so the water would look clear as it fell
You should by now be beginning to realize that the effects are not so clearly defined to deliver what you would expect. It is only with practice that you will begin to learn and add to that practice, experimentation, without that you will never proceed past being a very amateur photographer.
I suggest you take your camera out and as you work through all the apertures, keeping it firmly fixed in your head which one you started with, and if you have trouble remembering such things, write it down, taking the same photo each time, then when you have prints of your work look carefully at each until you learn the differences between each setting.
Of course, with a really first class automatic camera much of this will be worked out for you but as you progress you値l want to achieve more than your automated camera allows.
For the rank beginner, a cheap camera will suffice, and will probably have no discernible f numbers for you to adjust but as you improve you値l gradually want a better and better camera but that could take you some years to achieve depending on your dedication to your task, after all not everyone wants to be a professional photographer and many simple want a reasonable picture as a record of whatever they are interested in.
Ultimately lens quality is a prime requirement and I値l go into that more a bit later on, you値l find earlier posts which can help you with these things but the degree of difficulty is going to increase.
So have a happy photographic day and enjoy yourself along the way as nothing can beat YOU and YOUR camera.
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