Guide for beginners: What is depth of field?

The focus is one of the most important elements of successful photography and also for 3D configurators. There is no point in taking a breathtaking scene if the subject is not sharply focused. Once you have mastered the basics of focusing on your subject, depth of field control is the next step to open up a whole new world with a host of additional possibilities.

The depth of field refers to the amount of the image that is in an acceptable level of sharpness and depends primarily on the aperture setting. As a creative tool, it allows the photographer to “manipulate” the frame so that elements become more or less visible than they would otherwise appear in reality. A large aperture, for example, ensures a shallow depth of field, i.e. a very small focal plane and thus a small image section.

This can be useful for blurring background details or unwanted areas away from the subject or focus – e.g. in sports or action photography. In contrast, a small aperture provides a deeper depth of field that keeps more of the image in focus. This is useful for keeping most, if not all, images in focus, such as in landscape photography.

So what factors influence your control over depth of field, how can it be optimally used and restored in post-production? Let’s take a look at it….

Why it works.

As you can see in the picture above, it is possible to create a shallow depth of field with the correct gear and aperture selection. In this case, the image changes from ordinary to something quite different, quite sublime. Details are displayed in the focus areas where the focal plane passes through these depth areas, although this detail quickly drops off from both sides and creates a pleasant neutral background.

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