Years ago when I purchased my first lens with a large aperture, I remember putting the lens on my camera and continuing to run around taking photos with an extremely shallow depth of field for hours on end. It was a thrilling experience to take photos that have a sliver in focus and the rest of the image falling out of focus for the first time. Eventually, I learned that not every photo I took works with a shallow depth of field or that there was a line between the right amount and going overboard.

First things first, what is Depth of Field anyway? Depth of Field or DOF is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear acceptably sharp. In other words, the amount of area the photo that is in focus! An image that has a shallow DOF has very little in focus and helps isolate subjects in the photo or draw attention to an element of the photograph. A photo with a large DOF will have a lot if not the entire area of the image in focus. When shooting landscapes, cityscapes, or street scenes, a large DOF will help preserve all the detail in the image.

Secondly, what determines DOF in a photograph? Three things: the camera you are using, the focal length of the lens mounted on the camera, and the aperture your lens is set to. If you are using a camera with a full frame sensor, you will have less DOF at the same aperture and focal length on an APS-C or crop sensor camera therefore, the bigger the sensor, the shallower the DOF. A wide angle lens will have more DOF and a telephoto lens like a 200mm will produce photos with a smaller DOF. When you open up your lens to a large aperture setting like F1.4, F2.8 etc., you will have less in focus in your image and have a shallow DOF. If you set your lens to a small aperture like F11, F16, etc. you will have more of the photo’s area in focus.

DOF should be used as another tool of composition much like the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, etc. There are photos that will benefit from a shallow DOF and photos that will be visually appealing with more in focus. When you create a photograph with a shallow DOF, it will focus the viewers’ attention on one specific area of your image, which can help you illustrate the story you want to tell or highlight the main subject with little to no distraction. However, if you have a beautiful mountain vista in front of you with a stream running through the foreground and a grassy meadow leading to snowcapped mountains, you are going to want all of that beauty in focus and not only one sharp element of the entire photograph.

As you take more photos, learn about your camera, and develop your personal photographic style, you will find a balance of when and how you like to use DOF. Set your camera on a tripod or somewhere stable then take photos of the same scene with a shallow DOF and large DOF to understand how the different aperture settings will apply in your photography. We are heading into one of the most beautiful seasons of the year so make sure to pick up your camera, get outside, and take lots of photos!