Which f stop for shallow depth of field

If you wanted to maintain constant exposure image brightness , while changing the f-stop values, then changes in ISO or shutter speed would have to be made in the opposite direction.

The amount of light exposed to the image sensor is determined by the square area of the aperture as seen in the graphic below. I prefer to control this focus point manually, using back button focus.

By selecting the correct focal point location and f-stop settings, the photographer controls the depth of field for each image. The following examples show different image attributes correlate to varying f-stop values and depth of field.

In this case, we will look at visual image attributes determined by f-stop, providing varying depths of field. Using this f-stop during the day requires a very fast shutter speed making it great for action shots. The following image is in sharp focus for the person, but slightly out of focus for the background.

To compensate for these decreases in DOF the photographer can increase f-stop values or use methods such as focus stacking. For example, the closer an object is to the lens and the focus is set on that object the shallower the DOF. Conversely, the reverse is true — the farther away an object is and focused on, the deeper the DOF.

To maintain the compositional integrity of the shot, but still have the change in DOF from a distance, you can change the focal length either by changing lenses or zooming in. Why does changing the focal length negate the effects on DOF? This is because the visual properties of a given lens either provide either greater DOF shorter lenses or shallower DOF longer lenses. The physical properties of a lens at a given focal length also affect the depth of field.

The mm lens has a remarkably shallow depth of field. As you can imagine, this is useful when you want to keep the entire scene sharp; you just dial in your preferred aperture, then set your point of focus at the hyperfocal distance.

But how do you determine the hyperfocal distance when out in the field? You have a few options. First, you can use a hyperfocal distance calculator like the one offered by PhotoPills , which will let you dial in your focal length and your selected aperture before spitting out a hyperfocal distance.

Ultimately, the DoF aid you choose depends on your preferences — so feel free to try each option out and see which one you like best! A shallow depth of field will make your subject stand out from the background. Here are a few situations when a shallow depth of field often makes sense:.

Note that using a wide aperture for a shallow depth of field will also increase the amount of light hitting your sensor, which will in turn let you boost the shutter speed. A deep depth of field provides context, highlights small details, makes scenes appear more lifelike, and — when combined with certain composition techniques — increases depth.

Here are some situations when a deep depth of field is best:. So grab a camera and practice working with depth of field. Look at photos you admire and consider the depth of field used by the photographers. And most importantly, understand how depth of field can improve your images! What questions do you have about depth of field? What depth of field do you most often use in your photos? After reading this article, do you plan to change your approach?

Share your thoughts in the comments below! Depth of field is usually about one-third in front and two-thirds behind your point of focus, though as your focal length increases, the DoF distribution does become more equal. Depth of field is the sharpness range either side of a focus point. This is controlled by the aperture. As you will have seen from the example above, larger apertures smaller f-stop numbers result in a shallower depth of field, where less is sharp, while smaller apertures higher f-stop numbers will result in a greater DoF, where more is sharp.

There are three different factors that influence DoF — aperture, distance from your subject and magnification. In any of these modes, you can simply adjust your aperture using either the front or back control wheel of your camera. Interested in portrait photography? Click here. Changing the aperture is the easiest way to control depth of field. As we've already explained, larger apertures result in shallower depth of field while smaller apertures result in larger depth of field.

Although this may be the easiest way to adjust the depth of field, it is not the only way. The distance from your subject will also affect depth of field. The closer you are to the subject, the shallower your depth of field will be and vice versa. At the same aperture, shooting closer to your subject will give a much shallower depth of field, while shooting further away will give a much greater depth of field.