Depth of Field Primer

As I've discussed before here, controlling background clutter and isolating your subject is absolutely crucial to making good pictures.

Getting that "fuzzy" background look can really make a picture pop, and it definitely pulls you out of snapshot territory.

Controlling how much of your photo is in focus comes down to two main things...

Distance
Camera to Subject... if you get closer to the subject, the background will get more out of focus. Seems simple enough, but it has to do with the physical distance, not zooming in. Get close!
Subject to background... the further your subject is from the background, the more out of focus the background will be. For example... if your subject is leaning on a wall, it will be hard to get the wall out of focus. Bring the subject for a little separation, and good things will happen. You also start to get layered composition this way, which is good.

Here, getting close to the bird was a pain, and I probably looked a bit goofy chasing it around with the camera... But it has a nice blurry background. Of course, the bird was getting a bit concerned about my intentions.



Aperture
This is easiest to control on an SLR camera... Smaller Aperture number = less amount of in-focus area. This is "Shallow" depth of field.

Here is a series of shots from a Canon 5D with a 50mm lens for demonstration...

The point of focus is the near side of the fourth (light orange) spool of thread. Look as each aperture change brings more depth into focus... eventually at f22, even the texture of the wall behind is clearly visible.


On a side note, at f11 and f22, you also see the dirt that has accumulated on my camera sensor... time for a cleaning!


Now what do you do with that information?

For Point and Shoots.... you need to get close, and, use the "portrait" setting. This will get the shortest depth of field available. For a variety of technical reasons, P&S cameras have a hard time getting short depth of field, so distance is what you have to work with most.

For SLR users... Try the Av (Aperture Priority) setting. With that, you are in control of how much depth of field you are using. Knowing that you can knock the background out of focus (or keep it clear if that is what you want), is a very powerful option.

In Aperture Priorty (Av) mode, you set your aperture, and the camera will adjust the shutter speed to compensate. It is almost exactly like shooting in all-auto (Green Square) mode, but you start to take control.

Most importantly, you have to practice with your camera so that when you want to control something like this, you already know what to do.

Happy Shooting,

Don J

Basic Composition #3 - Background

Back to the basics for a post... One of the most important considerations for your intentional photography is what is going on in the background. Busy backgrounds are subject killers.

This is where photography gets active. Much of the time, your subject will not place itself in front of a nice, clean background. Instead, you have to move the camera.

Here is a progression of photos to demonstrate what I mean.

The set-up... a group of guys practicing a song they will be performing in a church service later. There is a stained-glass window providing some nice light, and lots of clutter.

The snapshot...

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/200, iso320

At this point, I can tell that there is just too much clutter for a nice image. Billy is standing directly in front of that window though, which looks interesting. (of course, I also have to compensate for all of that light in order to get a good exposure on his face)

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/125, iso320

Ok, that is nice, but the glare is just too much!

If you look back at the snapshot, you can see a yellow bulletin board on the left. Big solid color backgrounds are always good... so I walk a few feet to the right to see how that looks.

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/160, iso320

Well, ok, but the yellow is just so.... yellow. Having Jimmy in the foreground is nice, some people interaction... this works.

As I stood there, I could see that if I moved all the way past Jimmy to my right, I could capture Billy in front of a dark wood door. That looked very promising.

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/320, iso320

Now that is what I like.. unique looking light, no distractions, just a nice shot. The only thing left to do was wait for a nice facial expression or look...

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/320, iso320

OK, now I'm a happy camper.

As you can see, the photographic results from the exact same shooting situation can really vary. The key ingredient is actively looking for ways to improve the photo, and making the effort to move around and take lots of shots to find out what really looks good.

Here is one more of BK at the piano, same light from the window, but converted to black and white.

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/200, iso320

Have a great week, and make lots of pictures!

don j

If you want more interesting photos....

In The Moment it Clicks, Joe McNally quotes another National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson...
"If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff." That seems simple enough, but finding the "more interesting stuff" can be downright difficult when you are taking family photos.

The fix? If you can't change to a more interesting subject, do something to make the subject more interesting. Taking photos from normal eye-level vantage points, in normal places to stand can result in very average shots. Moving the camera to a viewpoint that isn't normally seen creates a visual that holds interest.

This is a normal snapshot of my niece on the floor counting Easter eggs... not a bad snapshot, but still, nothing to it.

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f4.5, 1/60, iso200, flash on


Drop down to kid level though, and and there is more visual interest...

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f4, 1/60, iso200, flash on

Looking at anything from an unusual angle makes it more interesting.

Ballet from above...

Canon 1D mkII, 50mm, f3.2, 1/200, iso 800,


The business end of a knife

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f7.1, 1/80

How about looking up at a fire hydrant?

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f4, 1/5,

Taking pictures from eye-level is automatic. Thinking of a more interesting angle makes it better.

If you don't get to choose "more interesting stuff," choose to shoot your mundane stuff in a more interesting way.

Final note.. if you want to see what goes through the head of a top shooter, check out the book I quoted at the top of the post. From National Geographic to Sports Illustrated, Joe McNally is one of the best. Add a big dose of humor and inspiration and that is this book.

don j.

Basic Composition #2 - The Suggestion of Thirds

OK, so it is really called the "Rule of Thirds." Like any other so-called rule in the creative world, it is often broken just to make a creative statement.

With that in mind, remember that it is really a suggestion, and a very good way to think about composing your photos so that they move beyond snapshots.

Watch this for a professional explanation...


OK, that was a lot of quick information..

Basically, you want to put your subject somewhere other than dead center of the picture. That is the quick and easy snapshot, but not usually a photo that holds interest. Second to that, you want the other elements of the photo to create lines that lead your eye to the subject and create interest.

As cute as our dog Nina is, I really wish this photo was framed with more room in front of her nose, and with her somewhere off to the left instead of dead center. Definitely should have been horizontal.

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f5.6, 1/60, iso100

Again, the photo is all about accentuating the subject.

If the subject is a face, then it is usually the eyes that are the focal point and should be part of the rule of thirds. Putting the eyes out of the center (and in focus) brings life to the face, and visual interest to the photo.

Canon 40D, 50mm, f1.8, 1/60, iso200

When composing for people, animals or anything with a face, it is important to consider where the subject is looking. In the video the guy calls it "look-off room." Basically, you need space in front of the subjects face, preferably across the frame of the picture. Otherwise, the subject is peering off the edge of the picture.

Just getting an expression is difficult enough with kids and pets... I wish I had more room to the left on this one. Even with fun lighting, my brain wants some "look-off room" over there.

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f11, 1/250, iso200

It generally also good to leave space in front of a moving subject in the photo. Again, your brain wants a place for the movement to go, and if it goes out of the frame, it is harder to make sense of.
Where is that tongue going anyway?

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f5.6, 1/60, iso200, Flash


OK, enough of that. Rules are meant to be broken, right? Well, sort of.

Just consider that these compositional elements are what can make a photo better than the snapshot that you were about to take. Move the subject over and give it room. With this move toward intentional photos, you are are taking control and making images that will have a better chance of looking good.

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f5.6, 1/200, iso320

Final thought, especially with dog pictures....

Don't throw the doggie treat too close to the camera!

don j

Don't Kill The Subjects

Ok, so identifying the subject is a bit obvious. Seriously, if there wasn't a subject, you would not have grabbed the camera, right? But now that you have identified the subject in your mind, you can start to do the fun creative part of photography and making intentionally good pictures.

Photos that create visual interest start with a good subject, but the rest of the image is what takes the picture out of the "snapshot" category. In this case, very selective focus draws the eye to the bell of this well-used horn. If everything else in the picture were in focus, the uniqueness of the subject (which in this case is the horn) would get lost in all of the other details.

Canon 5D, 50mm, f1.4, 1/250, Av mode, iso1000, no flash

Subject Killers...

When you start looking for things that detract from your subject, you can eliminate them.

Clutter in the background, especially if it is in focus, draws the eye away from the subject. Many times, you can eliminate background issues behind the subject by moving the camera. When you are really feeling sneaky, you can hide background distractions behind the subject's head, with the bonus of having a unique lighting effect at the same time!

Canon 5D, 24-70, f2.8, 1/60, iso3200, no flash

If you would like insight about the importance of a good background, check out blog posts by the three top-notch photographers Newsweek sent to cover the Olympics last year. Many comments are made about locating a good background, and then using it to frame the action for beautiful shots. They give a lot of insight into the amount of thought that they put into making photos, which is inspiring or depressing depending on how you want to look at it!

Focus is another huge subject killer. I hate coming home from an event and finding an image that could have been really good, and seeing the focus was off. For those who have made the jump to an SLR, you have the greatest amount of control over where to focus. A little time with the instruction manual and some practice time will take care of that. Point and Shooters... this is a tough one, but you do have some options. Many P&S cameras have modes like center-weighted focusing that can help you select what you really want to focus on. You may have to dig in some menus to find it.

I wanted to like this shot, but it really ended up being a nice picture of the subject's hand (which was not intended) while her face is a bit out of focus. If I had been really looking at this, an extra second and I could have put the focus on her face, and waited for the background to clear.

Nikon D3, 300mm, f2.8, 1/200, iso6400, no flash

Other subject killers include distracting colors, chopped off limbs, bad hair days and overly harsh light. Just stop to think... identify the subject, then look at everything else. The "everything else" should be in some way enhancing the subject, leading the eye toward the subject or giving context to the subject. If it isn't doing that, just fill the frame with the subject and eliminate the subject killer altogether.

I will cover some lighting info in future posts, for the bad hair, I would be no help. Seriously.

don j.

Basic Composition #1- Know Your Subject

Have you ever had the experience of looking back through photos from a trip and finding some that you aren't really sure where you took them or what they are of?

I hope that isn't just me.

Sometimes it is the simplest thing that escapes your brain when taking a photo... the subject. Of course, when you are standing there with a camera, your mind has already taken in the context of what is going on. What gets captured in the image however, may not really bring back the feelings or experience of where you were that inspired you to get the camera out. This is also what makes vacation slide shows so boring for people who weren't there. If the photos aren't bringing back your feelings, they are really dead to people who have no internal reference to where they were taken.

What is this a snapshot of? Bus? Cars? Fountain? Building? Did something happen here?

Kodak v530, Auto, f3.8, 1/160, no flash, iso80

Actually, I was trying to get the parking lot full of Mercedes, Porsches etc. but failed miserably.

The first thing to consider when taking intentional photos is "What is the subject?" The rest of the why, when, where and how revolve around being able to figure out what the picture is about. If the picture doesn't have a defined subject (or subjects), it becomes more difficult to comprehend. It makes less sense as a photo and more sense as abstract art. Nothing wrong with that, just know what you are going for.

After deciding what the subject really is, the fun creative part can begin... putting that subject in a context that gives it meaning and feeling.

This is a bit better... still a snapshot, but at least we have something to look at. This was in 2005, before the Smart cars were being sold in the U.S.A. It made her Mini look quite spacious.
Kodak v530, Auto, f2.8, 1/100, iso125, flash on

I will write about separating foreground, middle and background later, but in thinking about the subject, you can also be intentional about where it is in the photo, and how it relates to whatever else you put in the frame. Too many unrelated details and you just get clutter, to few details and you leave unanswered questions when someone looks at the photo.

A little thought went into the composition here, with the car in the foreground, artist renderings on the wall and engines in the background... hopefully it gives a sense of place to the subject, which is the Ferrari Enzo.

Kodak v530, Auto, f2.8, 1/60, iso125, flash on

Yes I enjoy shooting pictures of cars, especially Ferraris.

When you have the camera in your hand, it is easy to assume that what you are seeing is what the picture will be. In reality, the resulting image is a small, two-dimensional, visual-only reminder of what you were looking at. Making sure that you know what you are trying to capture is the first step to creating an image that can take you back to that place, and even let other people experience it as well.

Please note also that I am not saying to stop shooting snapshots. Sometimes they turn out great, or that is all the time you have to capture a moment. When you do have a moment to consider the shot, all the better. The practice of intentionally selecting a subject will gradually become habit and the snapshots will get better too.

don j.