Making background more sharp

[mortallis288]

i got the forground sharp and nice looking but how do i get the background like that? is it the f setting? here is a pic to show you what im talking about

 

[JDP]

Yep. Smaller aperature = more depth of field.

 

[mortallis288]

ahh thanks that was at f5.6

 

[ksmattfish]

Depth of field (DOF) describes how much of the photo is in focus.

To increase DOF (more in focus):
decrease aperture size (higher numbered f/stops)
decrease focal length (wide angle)
decrease lens coverage (this is decided by camera choice)
increase camera to subject distance (get farther away)

To decrease DOF (less in focus):
increase aperture size (lower numbered f/stops)
increase focal length (tight angle)
increase lens coverage
decrease camera to subject distance (get closer)

 

[mortallis288]

decrease lens coverage (this is decided by camera choice)

What do you mean by that?
and if i decearse the apt to like f4 then it will be more in focus?
it kinda sucks having film learning cause we havnt started dark room yet and i wanna try to learn some stuff before we start taking pictures for a grade.

 

[mysteryscribe]

you have it backwards... You want an f11 f 16 for good depth of field. Macro is inherantly short depth of field so you have to really compensate for it.

Try to shoot shots where the background is close to the subject if you want it sharp. A close up of a flower with a mountian miles about is not going to be in focus period. It just takes time to get it.

Let me rephrase that I have a camera that will shoot f 500 it might do the flower up close and the mountain far away but most ordinary cameras wont do it.

 

[mortallis288]

thaks

 

[LWW]

If you are learning I would suggest reshooting the pic at each available F stop you have and then compare the differences so you get a feel for how much each stop changes things.

You can do the same thing with shutter speeds against moving objects.

LWW

 

[Digital Matt]

decrease lens coverage (this is decided by camera choice)

What do you mean by that?
and if i decearse the apt to like f4 then it will be more in focus?
it kinda sucks having film learning cause we havnt started dark room yet and i wanna try to learn some stuff before we start taking pictures for a grade.

Smaller film formats, and smaller digital chips, which have smaller lenses, will have inherently more depth of field. 35mm has more depth of field at a given aperture than does 120 film, and the same goes for 4x5 to 120.

If you are taking a class, and shooting 35mm, don't worry about that. Understanding how aperture affects depth of field is the most important concept to grasp.

 

[ksmattfish]

and if i decearse the apt to like f4 then it will be more in focus?

Aperture is confusing because a lower f/#, such as f/2.8, is actually a large aperture, and a high f/#, like f/22, is a small aperture.

focal length divided by aperture size = f/#

so a 50mm lens at f/2 has an aperture size of 25mm

a 50mm lens at f/10 has an aperture size of 5mm

 

[ksmattfish]

Understanding how aperture affects depth of field is the most important concept to grasp.

Aperture is the DOF controller most emphasized, but understanding how focal length and camera to subject distance affect DOF have lots of real world application too.

The DOF of f/8 on a 28mm lens is huge, while at f/8 on a 200mm lens it's much smaller.

The DOF of f/8 focused at 15' is measured in feet, but focused at 15" it will only be a few inches.

 

[mortallis288]

thanks for the help guys!! we are doing pin hole cameras right now in the class, so im just praticing and getting to know what different settings do

 

[mysteryscribe]

Now with those you will get great depth of field. Note how small the aperture is and how large the number is...

 

[mortallis288]

the pin holes are pretty hard to get a good self portrait show i have to move my some stuff around to get a good shot in the next class heh. its fun though cause you dont really know what kind of picture your gonna get until after u develep it

 

[Torus34]

Mortallis288:

For a discussion of exposure, including DOF, go to the 'TPF News and Announcements' at the top of the main page, then to the 'Announcement! A call for articles. . . ' line and then click on the underlined link 'New Series in B&W photography'. I would very much appreciate feedback.

Regards.