The charm of photography is to capture the beauty of that moment, and depth of field is the magic that adds layers to that moment. Want to become a depth of field master? Then hurry up and learn these tricks!
First of all, we need to understand what depth of field is. To put it simply, depth of field is the transition area between the sharp and blurred parts of the field. If the depth of field is shallow, the clear range is small and the background is blurred; If the field is deep, the clear range is large, and the background is relatively clear.
To control depth of field, there are a few key factors to be aware of: aperture, focal length, shooting distance, and sensor size. These four factors are like the four King Kong of depth of field, all of which are indispensable.
Aperture: The larger the aperture, the more light will enter and the shallower the depth of field. Imagine that a wide aperture is like concentrating all the light on a small dot, which is the subject you want to photograph, and the background will naturally be blurred. So, when shooting portraits, if you want the background to blur and highlight the subject, open the aperture a little wider!
Focal length: The longer the focal length, the shallower the depth of field. The telephoto lens is like bringing distant objects closer, not only to make distant objects clearer, but also to make the background more blurry. So, when shooting distant landscapes or sports games, a telephoto lens is a great tool.
Shooting distance: The closer the shooting distance, the shallower the depth of field. It's easy to understand that the closer you get to the subject, the smaller the range you can capture. So, when shooting macro or flowers, remember to get the camera closer!
Sensor size: The larger the sensor size, the shallower the depth of field. The sensor size of a full-frame camera is larger than that of the APS-C format, so the depth of field captured by a full-frame camera will be shallower under the same shooting conditions. That's one of the reasons why professional photographers like to use full-frame cameras.
Of course, in addition to these four factors, there are also some tips that can help you control the depth of field. For example, use the foreground and background to enhance the sense of hierarchy, adjust ** appropriately to highlight the subject, and so on. In short, it is not easy to become a depth of field master, and it takes a lot of practice and exploration to find the feeling!