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    Depth of Field in Portrait Photography

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    jeffreygovender5745
    The document discusses depth of field in portrait photography. It explains that a shallow depth of field, where the subject is in focus but the background is blurred, draws attention to the subject and creates drama. A photographer can control depth of field through camera settings like aperture and focal length as well as distance from the subject. Specifically, using a telephoto lens between 50mm and 135mm, wide apertures between f/2.8 and f/4.0, small apertures, and close subject distance results in less depth of field and more background blur for compelling portraits.

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    Depth of Field in Portrait Photography

    Uploaded by

    jeffreygovender5745
    29 views4 pages
    The document discusses depth of field in portrait photography. It explains that a shallow depth of field, where the subject is in focus but the background is blurred, draws attention to the subject and creates drama. A photographer can control depth of field through camera settings like aperture and focal length as well as distance from the subject. Specifically, using a telephoto lens between 50mm and 135mm, wide apertures between f/2.8 and f/4.0, small apertures, and close subject distance results in less depth of field and more background blur for compelling portraits.

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    The document discusses depth of field in portrait photography. It explains that a shallow depth of field, where the subject is in focus but the background is blurred, draws attention to the subject and creates drama. A photographer can control depth of field through camera settings like aperture and focal length as well as distance from the subject. Specifically, using a telephoto lens between 50mm and 135mm, wide apertures between f/2.8 and f/4.0, small apertures, and close subject distance results in less depth of field and more background blur for compelling portraits.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    29 views4 pages

    Depth of Field in Portrait Photography

    Uploaded by

    jeffreygovender5745
    The document discusses depth of field in portrait photography. It explains that a shallow depth of field, where the subject is in focus but the background is blurred, draws attention to the subject and creates drama. A photographer can control depth of field through camera settings like aperture and focal length as well as distance from the subject. Specifically, using a telephoto lens between 50mm and 135mm, wide apertures between f/2.8 and f/4.0, small apertures, and close subject distance results in less depth of field and more background blur for compelling portraits.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    Depth of Field in Portrait

    Photography
    There is nothing like a great portrait. Really good portraits stand out
    because the subject (especially the eyes) is sharply focused while
    the background is blurry. This sharp subject versus blurry
    background creates drama that draws the attention of the viewer to
    the subject where it should be focused.

    The contrast between what


    is in focus and what is out of
    focus is known as “depth of
    field.” A good photographer
    knows how to control the
    depth of field, and that is
    what creates the great shot.

    Understanding and being


    able to control depth of field
    is paramount to getting the
    portraits you desire. In fact,
    it is the most important
    technique in this type of
    photography.

    The Equipment

    The first thing you need is a “Daddyʼs boy” captured by Jundy Tiu

    proper camera. A DSLR


    camera lets you control the depth of field (it is possible with point-
    and-shoot cameras but you have less control).

    https://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/depth-of-field-in-portrait-photography/ 2017/09/12, 09?49


    Page 1 of 4
    The second thing you need is a good portrait lens. Not just any old
    lens qualifies as a portrait lens, but you might be surprised at how
    many will qualify if you know some of the techniques involved in
    controlling the background blur.

    A portrait lens has two main requirements:

    1. The first is a telephoto range of between 50mm and 135mm,


    with the optimum being about 85mm. That means that a zoom
    lens will work, although many photographers prefer prime
    lenses for this type of photo shooting.
    2. The second lens requirement is a wide aperture. Normally f/2.8
    and wider are the best, but for longer focal lengths, you can use
    up to f/4.0.

    The Method

    Attach a lens with the proper focal length to your camera. Longer
    focal lengths are best at reducing the depth of field (when set at the
    correct aperture, as you will see below). There are many
    photographers who love using a 70–200mm zoom lens for portraits.
    Others use 85mm lenses for their best shots. Wide angle lenses do
    not work well for shooting portraits.

    Set the camera to Aperture Priority mode and set the aperture at a
    very wide setting (smaller f-number). The lower the number, the
    wider the aperture, and the wider the aperture, the less depth of
    field there is in the photo. For example, with an aperture of f/1.4, it is
    much easier to get a shallow depth of field than it is with an aperture
    of f/4.0.

    https://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/depth-of-field-in-portrait-photography/ 2017/09/12, 09?49


    Page 2 of 4
    photo captured by HENG FU MING

    Position the camera at the correct distance from the subject. This is
    a variable that will depend on the focal length of the lens, but you
    should be at the closest distance from the subject that will fill the
    camera frame with the subject. The closer the camera is to the
    subject, the less depth of field there will be in the final image. In
    simple terms, if the subject is only 10 feet from the camera, there will
    be less depth of field than if the subject is 20 feet from the camera.

    Practice, practice, practice. The more experience you have, the more
    you will understand the effects on depth of field that each one of the
    settings mentioned have on the final outcome.

    The best portraits are a result of using the right equipment along
    with the techniques outlined above. Contrary to what you may think,
    a good portrait lens will help more than a more expensive DSLR
    camera.

    https://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/depth-of-field-in-portrait-photography/ 2017/09/12, 09?49


    Page 3 of 4
    About the Author:
    Wayne Rasku has been an amateur photographer since 2003. He
    runs sites related to photography classes in Atlanta, Georgia, and a
    Canon lens organization site.

    https://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/depth-of-field-in-portrait-photography/ 2017/09/12, 09?49


    Page 4 of 4

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