Food Photos - Can't Focus on the "Front" Chicken Nuggets

enzodm · Oct 25, 2011

RegRoy said:
I must have been 2-3 feet away. Not too far.

Remember that the minimum focusing distance with your lens is 45cm, so a source of problems can be being too close more than too far. However, I agree with e.rose: you are simply focusing in the wrong place.

Ron Evers · Oct 25, 2011

Can you not manual focus with that lens? That would save screwing about with auto-focus points.

Dao · Oct 25, 2011

The other way around is .. eat the nuggets starting from the back row until all nuggets appear to be in focus.

Infinite_Day · Oct 25, 2011

Ron Evers said:
Can you not manual focus with that lens? That would save screwing about with auto-focus points.

Same thing I was thinking, Ron. Especially if you have a tripod to use. Heck, even if you don't have a tripod you can use MF as long as you're steady enough.

KmH · Oct 25, 2011

A couple of points:

Your main problem is the focal length of the lens you are trying to use. You need to use a longer focal length.

People often forget that lens aperture is just 1 of 4 factors that affect DoF. Lens focal length, focus point distance, and focus point distance from the background also affect DoF.

Someone mentioned DoF being 1/3rd in front, and 1/3rd behind, but that only applies to short focal lengths. As focal length increases the distribution of DoF gets closer and closer to 50/50. At 50 mm it's very close to 50/50.

Here is a tutorial for the OP: Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

Robin Usagani · Oct 25, 2011

The easiest would be to go farther away, and then digital crop.

Geaux · Oct 25, 2011

I love nuggets.

enzodm · Oct 25, 2011

KmH said:
A couple of points:

Your main problem is the focal length of the lens you are trying to use. You need to use a longer focal length.

Keith, if you actually looked at the picture, you have seen that there is not a problem of DoF - it is adequately shallow, but in the "wrong" place. Most likely, the problem is that he/she is using automatic focus point selection, and focuses in the center, and/or that he is too close to focus on the closest nuggets.

KmH · Oct 25, 2011

I did actually look at the photo. It is a problem of DoF because the OP wants the foreground, and the mid-ground in focus, with the background OOF.

The OP does not understand DoF.