Depth Of Field

Depth Of Field

Depth of field refers to the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp. It varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can also influence our perception of depth of field.

I set my camera up on a tripod in my back garden to reduce camera shake and set the camera to 'Aperture Priority Mode' so that I could change the F-number.

The F-number of this photograph is f22 which means that it has a large depth of field because the aperture of the lens was very small at the time of exposure. 

This is a photograph in exactly the same frame but with a bigger aperture (f5.6) which has resulted in a shallow depth of field. As you can see, the shed in the background of this is more blurry than the one above and the tree trunk in the foreground is distinctly sharper, demonstrating how depth of field is determined by the F-number.

Arnold Newman and Composition:

This photograph demonstrates a large depth of field, where both the subject and background are in focus. The composition of this includes the 'rule of thirds' where the subject is in a main area of focal points. The other focal points are to highlight Bill Clinton's life, as Arnold liked to document people in their own environment and in his pictures, showing the individual in a place that summarises them the most.