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Assignment: Limit Depth of Field to Show Off Your Subject

Don't be bashful! If you want comments, give comments. You don't need to be an expert photographer to express your opinion about the work of others. You don't need to go into great depth. A simple remark about cropping, composition, color, subject matter, etc. can be of just as much help to a budding photographer as an in-depth critique.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of being able to control depth of field is that you get to match your choice of approach to your subjects. While using a lot of depth of field is a great way to add detail to expansive landscapes, doing the opposite — limiting depth of field to just a few feet (or even inches) — lets you isolate a subject from its background.

For this assignment, choose a subject (perhaps a friend or a pet) that is bold enough to stand on its own and that looks best when you use shallow depth of field to extract it from its surroundings. Remember, the three keys to reducing depth of field are using a large aperture, using a longer lens, and getting close to your subject. And because depth of field is so shallow, precise focus on your main subject is very important.

I photographed this sheep on a beautiful farm in Maine on a late afternoon one sunny summer day. As pretty as the farm was, I wanted the sheep to be the star of the shot, and so I used a long (360mm) zoom setting to isolate it from the background, and a wide aperture of f/5.6 to render the farmyard and the base of the barn out of focus. I had to talk to the sheep constantly to keep its attention.

Remember to visit www.pwassignments.com after you complete this assignment and share your favorite photo! It’s a community of enthusiastic photographers and a great place to view what other readers have created. You can also post comments, and read encouraging suggestions and feedback.