Depth of Field (DOF) refers to the distance between the farthest and nearest points which are in focus. It can also be identified as the zone of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind the subject. In the picture of Nemo, above, you’ll notice that in the left hand shot he’s totally in focus, from gills to tail fin. In the right hand shot, his tail fin is blurry.

When you take a picture, there are several factors which can control or impact your depth of field. Less depth of field is called “small” or “narrow” or “shallow”. Having great depth of field is called a “wide” or “large” depth of field.

There are lots of reasons why you may want to control the depth of field, and make it narrower or wider. Most of these are because of artistic decisions, when you want to force attention to one part of the picture, or when you want to obscure another.

Aperture

A wider aperture (small f/number) causes a narrower depth of field. A smaller aperture (big f/number) causes a wide depth of field. So, to blur out the background use a f/stop like f/2.8 or f/4. To get everything in the scene focus select f/16 or f/22.

Sweet Spot

Remember though, that your lens has a sweet spot and if you select an aperture that is too wide or too small, you won’t be as sharp as you could be.

Focal Length

Another way to control your DOF is through the lens choice. Longer focal lengths (200mm or 300mm) tend to have a narrower depth of field, whereas wider lenses (35mm or 50mm) have a greater depth of field.

Focal Point

Remember that DOF is extends beyond the focus point. Typically it extends further behind the focal point than in front, so if you’re trying to blur the background you may want to bring the focus in a little ways.

There you have it. Choosing a depth of field and attaining it relies on your choice of all those variables. You can usually use your DOF Preview button on your camera (most new SLR’s have it) to get a good idea of what to expect, but until you see the final shot it’s always tough to tell what it will look like.

Let’s be frank. The dead-on angle of view is dead. Very few pictures look good when you pose your subject and take a straight, eye-level picture of them.

By simply changing the position of the camera higher, lower, or tilting it, you can come up with some much more exciting results.

This is usually a matter of playing with the composition in the viewfinder of the camera, and looking for something that works, but the trick is to actually play with it. Don’t just look at your subject, look at their surroundings and inject the photo with some elements that include those surroundings or alter the perception of your main subject.

Covering all the angles

Lower angles, where you shoot from a position below the subject, create a feeling of power and intimidation. They make the subject appear larger than life.

Higher angles, shot from above, create a feeling of submission around the subject, making them appear smaller and less significant.

Tilted angles can create a feeling of energy and excitement in a photo, since your eyes and brain are forced into “straightening” the photograph inside your head.

Framed angles are those where you shoot your subject in context with something in their environment – through an arch, or behind a tree. While the framing element may not be the focal point of the picture, it plays a prominent compositional role.

Subjective and Objective Viewpoints

The Subjective View is one where your subject is looking at the camera, giving the impression of interaction or connection with the viewer.

An Objective View is one where you catch the subject interacting with something or someone in their environment (apparently) oblivious of the camera.

Just about anyone who has taken a photo class or read a photography book knows about the rule of thirds. However, given that cameras these days have come down in price so dramatically, we have a lot more lay people shooting high-end cameras… and not everyone has been exposed to this little tidbit of wisdom.

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule that has been around since the mid 19th century, used for composing elements of fine art paintings. The rule says you can improve the tension and energy in a picture by aligning major elements of the composition to a grid, which divides the image up into nine squares.

Two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, equally spaced from the edges of the image, create four intersecting points on an image. By aligning these points and these lines to the subject, you can improve the look and feel of the subject.

The idea is combat centering all your photographs. Certainly some photos demand being centered, and I won’t claim that every photo must adhere to the rule of thirds. By using the rule as more of a guide or suggestions, however, you’ll find many shots you’ve taken will benefit from a simple crop that can drastically alter the drama of the picture.