Depth of Field: Photography’s Best Trick Part 1

Do you know what Depth of Field is? Do you know how to make it work for you? DoF is the common abbreviation and it’s the favorite trick of any pro! It completely changes the photograph if you have “shallow” depth of field, or “deep” depth of field. What do the two look like? I’ll show you!

"Deep" Depth of Field, background is sharper.

This is how most cameras when left up to themselves, will take the picture. If you leave it on any sort of automatic, chances are this is how your photos will look. But it’s not just the camera body. It also has a lot to do with the lens. (Everything, in fact.)

Are you up to speed on your Aperture Values? Do you know about F-stops? If not, that’s okay. I have a post you can see here about all that technical stuff.

Provided you’re familiar enough to know that your Aperture (how much light the lens lets in) is tiny when indicated at f/22 and wide open at f/1.8 or similar; how wide open your lens goes is a big determining factor in how little depth of field you can have.

Shallow Depth of Field

As you can see here, with a “shallow” depth of field the background is way more blurry. This is a highly desirable affect called “Bokkeh.” Or you can just call it background blur like me. The idea is by keeping your subject in focus while blurring out the background, is that you have a much stronger subject and therefore a better picture. It has so long been a staple of professional photographers that an image with shallow depth of field like the image above simply looks like it’s more professional than the first image.

So what do we have to do to accomplish this affect? We need two things. One is a camera with a manual aperture control. If you have a mode wheel on your camera, change it to the A (or Av if you have Canon.) You might have to check your manual about how to change the aperture once you’re in A (or Av) mode. If you have an SLR or Digital SLR (camera with interchangable lenses) usually there is what’s called a “Command” wheel, often located somewhere near your right thumb or forefinger while holding the camera like you’re going to take a picture. Again, you may have to consult your manual as all cameras are different.

Canon Rebel Command Wheel

Once you know how to change your aperture, make it as low as you can go. Chances are if you have a DSLR without a super expensive or special lens, you’re looking an f/4 or f/3.5. Same is true if you have a point and shoot, but those sometimes go down even as far as f/2.8.

At f/2.8 you can approximate the shallow DoF image above. (2nd image.) Really, what you would ideally need is an f/1.8 lens. Why? For one thing, believe it or not, most f/2.8 lenses to purchase seperately are waaay more expensive. Seriously!

The good news is these lenses for SLR or DSLR owners are cheap. Under $120! And they’re about the sharpest you can get under $650 too! The bad news is if you have a Point & Shoot Camera you’re stuck with whatever lens you have on the camera. Not all hope is lost for you though! There may be a way you can get this affect. Part Two of this Depth of Field series will be how you can achieve a similar affect with Telephoto (zoom.)

Well what are the lenses? For Canon owners:

And for Nikon owners:

Here are some more shallow DoF examples for your viewing pleasure:

Very Unique Sun Dial in Pilot Butte Cemetery

A Favorite of Mine

Cemetery Angel

IHS: First three letters of Jesus' Name in the Greek Alphabet. Iota, Eta, Sigma

Twin Sons of Leithauser, 1927

Beginning Cemetery Photography: Cameras

I personally prefer the digital SLR type cameras. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. What makes it different from the “Point and Shoot” camera’s is that it has interchangeable lenses. It can function as “point and shoot” (with the automatic mode) but can be fully customized in accessories, lenses as well as functions. SLR’s give you the most control possible. I’m a Canon lover. I think that they have the best cameras for the best price – with the largest selection of gear for what I want to do. We could debate this all day with Canon v.s. anybody, but let’s not, shall we? I used to sell camera’s for a living so I’ve heard it all. That said, if you have  Nikon, Sony, Pentax, or any other digital SLR made within the last 3 years you have a good camera! (Really, anything 6 megapixels and up is plenty.)
Here’s my favorite Canon SLR and the biggest bang for the buck without a doubt!
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
This camera is chalked full of features and creates simply spectacular pictures! There are literally entire books written about how to use this specific camera that I won’t get into here. Later posts will contain information about what settings and techniques I used to get certain shots.

If you need help operating the Canon Rebel XSi here’s a link one of the best guides out there:

David Busch’s Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Guide to Digital SLR Photography

That’s not even close to everything you will need.

For long exposures you’ll want a good tripod:

Sunpak 9002DX Tripod with 3-Way Quick-Release Pan Head

And a remote shutter release for use with the tripod:

Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 for Digital Rebel

For sunny day’s you’ll need a polarizing filter for your camera lens too. This depends on the diameter of your lens. Most canon kit lenses are 58mm diameter.

Hoya 58CIR 58mm Circular Polarized Filter

And don’t forget a bag to carry it all in. Personally, I’m a Tamrac fan. There have a virtual TON of bags! I like the backpack style, but I have a lot of stuff, too. If you have just the camera and one lens, you can get away with a sling bag or holster style.

Tamrac 5767 Velocity 7x Photo Sling Pack (Black)

That’s the very very very basic setup if you want “pro” gear. There’s higher end and lower end stuff, too. I am good friends with another cemetery photographer on the east coast who shoots with the Nikon D300 setup. The body alone on the D300 retails for about $1,800 at the time of this post. That doesn’t include any lenses or anything else!

Now, what if you want a “Point and Shoot” camera that doesn’t require all this but still takes awesome shots? No problem! Big pool to jump into though. Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Fuji, Casio, Sony, Olympus and Samsung are just a couple of the better names in the business. For the time being, I stay away from HP and Kodak cameras. They’re world renown for ease of use – but that’s it. Their pictures tend to stink and their gear falls apart worse than most 1980’s vintage Fords. If you have a kodak or HP and you think the pictures are good – then you need to start looking at pictures from different camera’s. You’ll be amazed!

I have some suggestions for versatile and durable cameras that take awesome pictures:

The leader of the pack in my opinion for in the $150 price range in the P&S (point and shoot) division is this:

(Note: This post has been exhumed from past records! The Fuji S700 isn’t widely available anymore as it has been replaced by newer models. I think the S700 is still far superior to it’s newer siblings. This will be updated sooner than later, however.)

Fujifilm Finepix S700 7.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

If you think I’m nuts, read the reviews. I’ve personally used this camera and know you can print an 11×14 right off the camera (no photoshop or ‘nuthin) that will compete with most 12 megapixel p&s cameras.

Next up if you have a wad of cash you want to blow and get a little more bang for the buck feature wise (though the Fuji S700 is almost as good in picture quality) check out this tank:

Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

If I had $400 and change to spend on a backup p&s it would be this camera.
(Again, the most recent model is the G10. G9’s are kind of hard to come by, but are well less than $400 now!)

These guys don’t have a whole heck of a lot accessories available. However, the Fuji S700 (or S5700 if you’re a Ritz Camera customer) has a 46mm diameter thread with which you can mount small UV or polarizing filters since the lens doesn’t move in or out. (Cool!)

With the point and shoots a tripod is still required, though you can get smaller lighter tripods too. You can even get what’s called gorilla tripods that attach to almost anything!

Joby GP1-01EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey)

So that’s it for the basics of the gear you might need! I’ll introduce more cool tools of the trade (and tips and tricks) as the blog continues. My goal is one post a night!

Until then, happy research, read reviews, be your own skeptic, don’t believe a word I say until you prove me right or wrong, and above all else: HAVE FUN!!!