The Art of Photography: Understanding Depth of Field and Beyond

When it comes to controlling depth of field, there are several strategies you can use to achieve sharper images. One of the most effective ways is to stop down, which means closing the aperture to let less light into the camera. This may seem counterintuitive, as we often want to maximize the amount of light that enters the camera in order to capture images quickly. However, stopping down can be a crucial step in achieving better results, especially when shooting in low-light conditions.

Another important factor to consider is the lens itself. While it's true that a lens with a wider aperture may seem appealing at first glance, this can actually be detrimental to depth of field. A wider aperture means less light enters the camera, which can result in images that are underexposed and lacking in detail. By stopping down and using a lens with a narrower aperture, you can control the amount of light that enters the camera and achieve a sharper image.

But what about natural light? Is it truly essential to have better lighting in your scene in order to capture stunning images? The answer is no. While natural light can be incredibly beneficial for photography, it's not always possible or practical to work with. In fact, many of the most iconic photographs were taken in low-light conditions. The key is to learn how to work with available light and use it to your advantage.

One way to do this is to experiment with different lighting setups. For example, if you're shooting indoors, try using a single source of light to create a warm and intimate atmosphere. This can be as simple as placing a lamp or a window in a strategic location, or as elaborate as setting up a full studio lighting system. The goal is to create a sense of depth and dimensionality in your image, which can be achieved by using shadows, highlights, and other visual elements.

Of course, not all photographers have access to top-of-the-line equipment, including high-end digital cameras like the Canon 5D. But even with more affordable options, there are still many ways to achieve better results. The key is to learn how to use your camera's capabilities effectively, rather than relying on expensive gear.

For example, most digital cameras have a built-in sensor that can capture images at varying levels of sensitivity. This means that you can adjust the settings on your camera to optimize it for different lighting conditions. For example, if you're shooting in low light, you may want to increase the ISO setting to allow more light into the camera. However, be careful not to push the camera too far, as high ISOs can introduce grain and other artifacts into the image.

In fact, many of the most talented photographers are not necessarily using the latest and greatest equipment, but rather learning how to work with what they have to achieve their desired results. By experimenting with different techniques, practicing regularly, and learning from others, you too can become a skilled photographer who gets the best out of your camera.

Finally, it's worth noting that the idea that "if I just had better gear, my photos would be so much better" is a common misconception among photographers. The truth is, most cameras are capable of capturing high-quality images, regardless of their price or brand. What matters most is not the equipment itself, but rather your skill and vision as a photographer.

In fact, some of the most iconic photographs were taken using relatively basic equipment. For example, Ansel Adams was known for his use of large-format cameras to capture stunning landscapes in Yosemite National Park. However, it's not just about the equipment – it's also about learning how to work with it, experimenting with different techniques, and developing your own unique style.

In short, while having better gear can certainly be beneficial for photography, it's by no means a guarantee of success. The true secret to great photography lies in understanding the fundamentals of light, composition, and technique, as well as developing your own unique vision and style. By learning how to work with what you have, experimenting regularly, and staying true to your artistic vision, you can create stunning images that showcase your skills and creativity.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enjoin us now on Flickr at flickr.com slash groups slash art of photography everybody welcome back once again to another episode of the art of photography I am your host Ted Forbes today we're going to talk about how to get a sharper image now I think this probably is going to seem for a lot of people like a really basic topic but I think it's really worth explaining again and the reason I say that is people who follow me on Twitter will send me to eat sometimes or I get emails and one of the most common questions I get from people who are a little newer to photography and I think this is really important is is they'll ask you know what kind of lens do you recommend I bought some kind of kit so either some kind of Canon thing that came with the lens or some kind of Nikon thing or whatever it is and the question is is how do I get you know what kind of lens would you recommend well that's such a vast question because lenses are really all designed for different purposes and needs and so my response usually is what kind of lens are excited what kind of results are you looking for what are you not getting with your current lens and the most common response I get is accurate color representation and sharp image and that's interesting to me because from my experience digital cameras have gotten to the point where you really don't have to spend a lot of money anymore the cameras are wonderful and the lenses really are pretty good now color representation is going to come through white balancing so as long as you have a camera where you're allowed to control that white balance particularly if you can do custom white balance you should be able to control that that's not that's not really so much going to be a problem with the lens with modern lenses anyway so that's really important to know so if you haven't watched the last episode we did on white balance I think it's worth checking that out to learn a little bit about how color works leaving things in automatic all the time on your cameras really kind of a weird idea because if you don't know what's going on your camera is a machine it's going to make its best guess based on a lot of different parameters and algorithms that it runs inside the computers inside the cameras computer so it's really important to be able to know how to control that manipulated now as far as sharp images and when I bought my Nikon d40 I was really impressed with the little plastic II kind of kit lens that came with it's very sharp a lot of people want to go out and they want to get like a 50 member one point for something that has a lower f-stop value or higher f-stop I don't you look at it and the problem with that is you know the more you're able to open the lens the more shallow a depth of field you're going to get and I don't think that's necessarily going to achieve a sharper image via most people's standards we did an episode on depth of field a long time ago probably about two years ago it's one of the early art of photography episodes and it's worth checking that out and I'll review a little bit today basically how lenses work and what you're looking for with that depth of field now real quick this is the front mount for my four by five view camera and I were just looking at the lens so it this there's no difference really except for the fact that this is mounted for a large format film camera it's the same principle with elements and glass and the whole thing but this is a really good one to see because you can see exam because you can see through this lens here right now I have the aperture wide open okay and so if you have a lens that's rated F 1.4 and it was wide open that's what you'd be at this is actually a large format lens they're typically rated lower so this is five six neither here nor there it's wide open that's all you need to know when it's wide open I have allow more light to come through whereas if I close this and stop it down you can see the iris closed and the hole got smaller allow less light to come through so this is how you're controlling your exposure from the aperture or the iris depending on you know how you look at that and so it's a really good way to control exposure but the problem is is when I have the lens set to be wide open I have what's called a shallow depth of field which means the focal point in my picture whatever I focus on it's going to focus let's say you're focusing on something that's five feet away when it's wide open like this things that are maybe three feet away may be out of focus because they're not in that focal range the depth of field is really too shallow at that point things that are way off in the distance that you know infinity or way in the background will blur out too that's an effect that you might want things in the foreground that blur out you could use those in effect if you're looking for a focal point in the picture where you want the viewers eye to go generally though things that are out of focus in the foreground get really distracting so your image will appear less sharp if you have something in focus and something else is not and so that's really what the deal is is you want to be able to stop that lens down and if you want a really sharp image where everything's in focus because it increases the depth of field so if I stop this all the way down and large format lenses are great because this will stop down a past 45 which is really hard to do on digital camera lenses it almost is a pinhole effect and let's very little light in and but the the the difference is is that it has an enormous depth of field so everything in my image will be in focus now you're not going to buy a magic lens that changes depth of field that's just a physical phenomenon of lenses the wider they are the shallower the depth of field so two things that you want to do to control that and I'm speaking mainly to if you're shooting pictures of your kids around the house or something like that you want sharper images so to speak what I would not do is buy a lens that provides a wider aperture because the depth of field is lower if you have a lens like that you still want to stop down so trying to get around that light you want to look into do I need to use a flash do I need to have better lighting in the scene that I'm shooting is this room too dimly lit is it at night if those things are really important to you and you're a big natural light photographer getting a really more modern of course the price goes up to digital camera like the Canon 5d or something like that that will the the the sensitivity will go up to like 1600 3200 before it starts introducing grain into the image that's probably what you want to look for in something like that but it's really not a an artifact of the lens so to speak like I said just about any lens you get with any kit even if it seems cheap they're usually good enough to get the results and I guess what I'm saying all this and those that have followed this podcast for a long time know that I'm you know kind of not fanatical about it but but it's really important and my message is that you know most other sources magazines podcasts etc I'll kind of make it sound like if I have better gear I'm going to take better photos I think that's probably the wrong it's the complete opposite way should be looking at it if cameras don't take photos people take photos and it's really important for you as a photographer to learn how that camera works learn how lens works learn how your lens works long as how your camera works and read the manual read books watch this podcast all the things you can do to figure those things out I think that's really important to achieving better results in fact I had a friend asked me the other day and I'm sure you guys get this too sometimes some people know you is the photography guy I you know they were like well I'm trying to save my money and I really want to get you know whatever model is out and it cost me you know it's under a thousand dollars and I just you know I'm just going to wait save my money and you know I was telling this friend of mine I said you know my advice to you is to be just buy something you can or even if it's cheap and doesn't feel good because the reason is is it's more important for you to be taking pictures than it is for you to be not taking any photos and just saving your money for an expensive piece of equipment and I'll repeat that rest of my life I mean that that's the most important thing is that they take what you have and learn how to work with it you know money cash flow things like that's kind of like a river everybody you know goes through you know hard times and then you know very fruitful times as well and at those times you can buy more expensive equipment but that's not why you got into photography you get into photography for taking photos and it's really important to kind of keep that into perspective and like I said it's it's it's better to be shooting on something that's really cheap because you're making pictures you know maybe there are some limitations of the equipment if it's really bad or really old but you're still making pictures you're learning how to get around those things and then when you do step up to to better equipment you're more equipped to handle that and get the most out of that so anyway that's my two cents on that but anyway sharper image is really understanding how depth of field works really understanding you know composition what's in your photo like I said if there's something in the foreground the lens is wide open and then it gets knocked out of focus it's really going to destroy the image just because it looks bad when you kind of get to a higher level of this and I'll do another podcast on this for the people who are more advanced but I think it's important to note that you can start using that that focal point to draw the viewers eye into a part of your image and it's a little harder to do it's more of a you know kind of a ninja move for for Vance photographers but that can be a really cool effect to is if you have an image and you're using focus to draw attention to a certain part of the image it's hard to do without having the rest of it be distracting but it can be done so anyway we'll cover that in another episode but that's enough for today but anyway once again this has been the art of photography and thank you for watchingjoin us now on Flickr at flickr.com slash groups slash art of photography everybody welcome back once again to another episode of the art of photography I am your host Ted Forbes today we're going to talk about how to get a sharper image now I think this probably is going to seem for a lot of people like a really basic topic but I think it's really worth explaining again and the reason I say that is people who follow me on Twitter will send me to eat sometimes or I get emails and one of the most common questions I get from people who are a little newer to photography and I think this is really important is is they'll ask you know what kind of lens do you recommend I bought some kind of kit so either some kind of Canon thing that came with the lens or some kind of Nikon thing or whatever it is and the question is is how do I get you know what kind of lens would you recommend well that's such a vast question because lenses are really all designed for different purposes and needs and so my response usually is what kind of lens are excited what kind of results are you looking for what are you not getting with your current lens and the most common response I get is accurate color representation and sharp image and that's interesting to me because from my experience digital cameras have gotten to the point where you really don't have to spend a lot of money anymore the cameras are wonderful and the lenses really are pretty good now color representation is going to come through white balancing so as long as you have a camera where you're allowed to control that white balance particularly if you can do custom white balance you should be able to control that that's not that's not really so much going to be a problem with the lens with modern lenses anyway so that's really important to know so if you haven't watched the last episode we did on white balance I think it's worth checking that out to learn a little bit about how color works leaving things in automatic all the time on your cameras really kind of a weird idea because if you don't know what's going on your camera is a machine it's going to make its best guess based on a lot of different parameters and algorithms that it runs inside the computers inside the cameras computer so it's really important to be able to know how to control that manipulated now as far as sharp images and when I bought my Nikon d40 I was really impressed with the little plastic II kind of kit lens that came with it's very sharp a lot of people want to go out and they want to get like a 50 member one point for something that has a lower f-stop value or higher f-stop I don't you look at it and the problem with that is you know the more you're able to open the lens the more shallow a depth of field you're going to get and I don't think that's necessarily going to achieve a sharper image via most people's standards we did an episode on depth of field a long time ago probably about two years ago it's one of the early art of photography episodes and it's worth checking that out and I'll review a little bit today basically how lenses work and what you're looking for with that depth of field now real quick this is the front mount for my four by five view camera and I were just looking at the lens so it this there's no difference really except for the fact that this is mounted for a large format film camera it's the same principle with elements and glass and the whole thing but this is a really good one to see because you can see exam because you can see through this lens here right now I have the aperture wide open okay and so if you have a lens that's rated F 1.4 and it was wide open that's what you'd be at this is actually a large format lens they're typically rated lower so this is five six neither here nor there it's wide open that's all you need to know when it's wide open I have allow more light to come through whereas if I close this and stop it down you can see the iris closed and the hole got smaller allow less light to come through so this is how you're controlling your exposure from the aperture or the iris depending on you know how you look at that and so it's a really good way to control exposure but the problem is is when I have the lens set to be wide open I have what's called a shallow depth of field which means the focal point in my picture whatever I focus on it's going to focus let's say you're focusing on something that's five feet away when it's wide open like this things that are maybe three feet away may be out of focus because they're not in that focal range the depth of field is really too shallow at that point things that are way off in the distance that you know infinity or way in the background will blur out too that's an effect that you might want things in the foreground that blur out you could use those in effect if you're looking for a focal point in the picture where you want the viewers eye to go generally though things that are out of focus in the foreground get really distracting so your image will appear less sharp if you have something in focus and something else is not and so that's really what the deal is is you want to be able to stop that lens down and if you want a really sharp image where everything's in focus because it increases the depth of field so if I stop this all the way down and large format lenses are great because this will stop down a past 45 which is really hard to do on digital camera lenses it almost is a pinhole effect and let's very little light in and but the the the difference is is that it has an enormous depth of field so everything in my image will be in focus now you're not going to buy a magic lens that changes depth of field that's just a physical phenomenon of lenses the wider they are the shallower the depth of field so two things that you want to do to control that and I'm speaking mainly to if you're shooting pictures of your kids around the house or something like that you want sharper images so to speak what I would not do is buy a lens that provides a wider aperture because the depth of field is lower if you have a lens like that you still want to stop down so trying to get around that light you want to look into do I need to use a flash do I need to have better lighting in the scene that I'm shooting is this room too dimly lit is it at night if those things are really important to you and you're a big natural light photographer getting a really more modern of course the price goes up to digital camera like the Canon 5d or something like that that will the the the sensitivity will go up to like 1600 3200 before it starts introducing grain into the image that's probably what you want to look for in something like that but it's really not a an artifact of the lens so to speak like I said just about any lens you get with any kit even if it seems cheap they're usually good enough to get the results and I guess what I'm saying all this and those that have followed this podcast for a long time know that I'm you know kind of not fanatical about it but but it's really important and my message is that you know most other sources magazines podcasts etc I'll kind of make it sound like if I have better gear I'm going to take better photos I think that's probably the wrong it's the complete opposite way should be looking at it if cameras don't take photos people take photos and it's really important for you as a photographer to learn how that camera works learn how lens works learn how your lens works long as how your camera works and read the manual read books watch this podcast all the things you can do to figure those things out I think that's really important to achieving better results in fact I had a friend asked me the other day and I'm sure you guys get this too sometimes some people know you is the photography guy I you know they were like well I'm trying to save my money and I really want to get you know whatever model is out and it cost me you know it's under a thousand dollars and I just you know I'm just going to wait save my money and you know I was telling this friend of mine I said you know my advice to you is to be just buy something you can or even if it's cheap and doesn't feel good because the reason is is it's more important for you to be taking pictures than it is for you to be not taking any photos and just saving your money for an expensive piece of equipment and I'll repeat that rest of my life I mean that that's the most important thing is that they take what you have and learn how to work with it you know money cash flow things like that's kind of like a river everybody you know goes through you know hard times and then you know very fruitful times as well and at those times you can buy more expensive equipment but that's not why you got into photography you get into photography for taking photos and it's really important to kind of keep that into perspective and like I said it's it's it's better to be shooting on something that's really cheap because you're making pictures you know maybe there are some limitations of the equipment if it's really bad or really old but you're still making pictures you're learning how to get around those things and then when you do step up to to better equipment you're more equipped to handle that and get the most out of that so anyway that's my two cents on that but anyway sharper image is really understanding how depth of field works really understanding you know composition what's in your photo like I said if there's something in the foreground the lens is wide open and then it gets knocked out of focus it's really going to destroy the image just because it looks bad when you kind of get to a higher level of this and I'll do another podcast on this for the people who are more advanced but I think it's important to note that you can start using that that focal point to draw the viewers eye into a part of your image and it's a little harder to do it's more of a you know kind of a ninja move for for Vance photographers but that can be a really cool effect to is if you have an image and you're using focus to draw attention to a certain part of the image it's hard to do without having the rest of it be distracting but it can be done so anyway we'll cover that in another episode but that's enough for today but anyway once again this has been the art of photography and thank you for watching\n"