C&C - DOF wrong?

[fjrabon]

DSC_0106 by franklinrabon, on Flickr

Nikon D3100 35mm ISO 200 f/3.2 1/60

So, I can't figure out what I should have done DOF wise here. Part of me almost thinks that I should have gone for more DOF, part of me thinks I should have shot the bottle at an angle so that the right side would be out of focus, instead of the just strip of focus going across the middle. Thoughts?

Also, feel free to comment on any other aspect of the photo as well.

 

[tirediron]

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of unfocused foregrounds. I would prefer sharp focus from the front edge to the far edge of the main subject and then trailing off from there.

 

[fjrabon]

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of unfocused foregrounds. I would prefer sharp focus from the front edge to the far edge of the main subject and then trailing off from there.

yeah, I guess I was kind of stuck in the beginner 'nail the focus on your subject' idea, that I didn't really think about that. So probably a little more DOF, so that when you do that the subject is still in focus, then set the focus point in the middle of the foreground? maybe shoot from a slight angle so that the right side is out of focus a little more?

 

[gsgary]

The foreground should lead your eyes into the shot

 

[KenC]

I just don't think it hangs together. The partial bottle looks interesting, so a closer shot of that might work and you might even see some interesting reflections in addition to the shape and texture of the glass. The other stuff in the shot doesn't do anything to add to the bottle and isn't that interesting in itself, in addition to some of it being OOF. Go for the close-up!

 

[fjrabon]

I just don't think it hangs together. The partial bottle looks interesting, so a closer shot of that might work and you might even see some interesting reflections in addition to the shape and texture of the glass. The other stuff in the shot doesn't do anything to add to the bottle and isn't that interesting in itself, in addition to some of it being OOF. Go for the close-up!

yeah, I totally agree, this C&C isn't so much about me turning this into a great shot, it's figuring out how to control the DOF for this type of shot correctly. Even with a perfect DOF, the rest of the photo other than the bottle top doesn't really add anything. THe leaf is kind of a pretty color, and the rock is sort of interesting, but they don't work together at all. As Joe McNally says 'sort of interesting and kind of good equals awful."

I'm at the point where I think I more or less can get the correct DOF with subjects that are completely separate, but when your subject is literally imbedded in the background, like here, I kind of get lost in what to do with the DOF.

I have a few tighter shots of the same bottle top that I really, really liked.

This one's more about figuring out how to do the technique correctly than anything else.