Depth of field refers to the space in front or behind the plane of best focus, within which objects appear acceptably sharp. In other words, the range of distance that appears sharp of in focus. The main control over depth of field is the lens aperture, the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field. The lens’s focal length can also affect depth of field. For example, the depth of field at ƒ11 with a 28mm lens will be greater than it would be at ƒ11 with a 300mm lens. In addition to this, depth of field can be affected by the distance of the subject from the camera. The further away from the camera the subject, the greater the depth of field.
During our lesson on depth of field we were required to complete three tasks to demonstrate the different ways in which depth of field can be affected.
Task 1
Set up a group of items in a manner that each item is at a different distance from the camera and photograph the group.
4" f29 ISO 400 1/13 f3.5 ISO 400 1/5 f5.6 ISO 400
Task 2
Take three different photographs of a group of items, the first with the lens at 55mm, the second with the lens at 30mm, and the third with the lens at 18mm.
0"6 f11 ISO 400 0"6 f11 ISO 400 0"6 f11 ISO 400
Task 3
Take a photograph of the length of the classroom, including in your photograph an object that is a foot away from the camera.
1/8 f5.6 ISO 400 1/15 f4.5 ISO 400 1/6 f5 ISO 400
Completing these tasks helped me to understand depth of field in a more practical way.