Aperture and Depth of Field Explained | The Difference Between Shallow Depth of Field and Large Depth of Field

Control over aperture and depth of field is one of the most important aspects of photography, and I suggest you start with buildings and other inanimate objects before using depth of field to create portraits or nature shots simply because buildings don't move!

Shallow or Large?

Depth of field in photography refers to the area of a scene which is in focus. This area is 3-dimensional and is measured from the foreground moving along a horizontal plane towards the background of the picture. A large depth of field means more of the scene is in focus and a shallow depth of field means less is in focus.

aperture and depth of field in photography
Door Bell (Photo: Anne Darling)

In the photograph above, I wanted the bell to stand out as the main subject so I chose a shallow depth of field, leaving the foreground out of focus which gives a blurred area known as bokeh.

What is Bokeh?

The term bokeh is often used in macro photography where depth of field is usually very small. A depth of field this small means that most of the image is blurred and out of focus but a small range, or depth, remains in focus.

Using a zoom or telephoto lens may also produce bokeh due to shallow depth of field.

In photography depth of field is inversely proportional to the focal length of a lens, if you are buying a new lens remember that, for example, with a 28mm lens you can potentially get more of the picture in focus than with a 100mm lens.

The principle aim of bokeh is to reduce distraction, usually from the background, but in this case I have used it to reduce distraction in the foreground and to create a frame for the tiny bell.

Most importantly, to achieve a shallow depth of field in your photography, the aperture must be set wide. Narrow apertures such as f/11, f/16, f/22 and so on produce a large depth of field.

To compensate for a wider aperture, you may need to alter the shutter speed to get the exposure right. For every extra f/stop you will need to increase the shutter speed one notch.

Bokeh also has an aesthetic meaning when it refers to the quality of the out-focus-areas. Good bokeh occurs when the edges of the out-of-focus objects are indistinct. Bad bokeh occurs when the edges are still defined.

The photograph above is an example of neutral bokeh as the edges are blurred but still fairly well defined. However, the aim of the photograph was not to create beautiful bokeh but to create an image of a photographic detail thereby demonstrate how aperture and depth of field work together .

Forthcoming photography tips on portraiture will explain how to use aperture and depth of field to enhance your people shots.

Find Out More

Together, aperture and shutter speed can be used to control light to affect the depth-of-field. These three areas (aperture, shutter, speed light) each form a chapter in Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. There is also a lot of solid information on special techniques and filters and a discussion of the merits of digital versus film.

There are more than seventy techniques coverd, both popular and less-familiar approaches, in detail, including advanced exposure, bounced flash and candlelight, infrared, multiple images, soft-focus effects, unusual vantage points, zooming, and other carefully chosen ways to enhance photographs. The A-Z format make sit easy for readers to find a specific technique, and each one is explained in jargon-free language. Top Tips for each technique help readers achieve superb results, even on the first attempt.

Your camera needs light to create any image. To create a spectacular one, you need the best light possible, and Chris Bucher shows you how to find it in Lighting Photo Workshop and how to work with the light that's available wherever you are, how to augment it for different effects, how to use light to accent a scene, express a feeling, or flatter a face.

This is a rigorous practical guide to photographic lighting techniques, complete with hands-on assignments offering digital photographers a complete course in photographic lighting This book covers everything from using flash systems and studio lights to working outdoors in bright or low-light conditions. Full-color examples show how the right lighting can enhance color, improve contrast, and open the door to new creative possibilities.

Discover how to master the magic of light, explore the elements of light and understand white balance, color temperature, and light quality, choose and use appropriate accessories, learn to work with natural light, indoors and out, and to create effects with shadows, discover how light affects motion, landscape views, and closeup shots, and try your hand at night and low-light photography.

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