Challenge: Depth of Field

Hosted by: BusyB1965

For our theme this time I have chosen just one of many subjects I do not understand, in this case it is Depth of Field. I know that in DOF that by using a small fstop you will have a greater dof and large f stop less dof (due to more or less light being received by the "iris")
I have tried to read upon the subject but still do not grasp it very well. Am hoping that by everyone's contribution and maybe explaining on some of them what they did to achieve this aspect of photography that it will help those on this site like me who do not fully understand.
Here is a site someone recommended me to check out..maybe some of you might want to check it out also.

members.aol.com/photoinfo/dof.html

You are going to see a few pictures I have struggled with in order to have some to post as an example, they are not the best, but please feel free to give suggestions on what could have been done better..It will be greatly appreciated.

1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8

For those of you who know the subject and do it so well please post in order to help the rest of us, and to those of you like me who may struggle some with this subject please post in order to learn and grow.
It will be late at night before I will be able to view your post (due to working a second job for a few week--doing TAXES)..am sure this is a subject most of us don't want to talk about.
Thanks and am looking forward to seeing the outcome.

[editor's note, by codepoit] Next theme host will be FranCes

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lilbit
•4
1/28/06 7:17 PM

I LOVE #7, great shot, all of them are good B, looks like you are getting the hang of DOF. This theme sounds like alot of fun!

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Lidljo
•5
1/28/06 7:23 PM

They all look good to me BB. I will learn with you. I know that I have gotten some good ones in the past, but that was by accident - not planned.

- Flowers are happiness...

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debora
•4
1/28/06 7:33 PM

what a fantastic idea! *7 is not only a wonderful photo....but a perfect example!

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wilk
•5
1/28/06 7:41 PM

This sounds like fun and I agree with the above comments that you seem to have a pretty good handle on dof. 7 is exceptional.

- Oh Shoot

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rsmquilts
1/28/06 7:58 PM

I am a rank amatur myself and every shot I take is an experiment. I liked all but 7. Couldn't quite figure out the subject. My favorite was 8.

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Blizzard
•5
1/28/06 8:31 PM

Thanks for such a great theme idea! I can't wait to get started.

- I want to pull your teeth

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ClassyShots
•5
1/28/06 9:32 PM

Great idea. This one will be fun to play with.

- Oh Bull!

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traderick
•4
1/28/06 10:21 PM

the larger the fstop number, the larger the dof. for example an f8 gives a long dof while an f2.8 has a very short dof. keep in mind that when you stop it down you will be choosing a larger fstop number, that will be making the aperture (hole) smaller so you will be requiring your camera to hold the shutter open longer to get the same exposure. so at the slower shutter speeds( for me that's anything below 1/1000 of a second ) i shoot off of a rest using the self-timer. this eliminates a lot of blurred pics.

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throughtheeyesoflauramars
•4
1/28/06 10:23 PM

So cool that you choose something that challenges you...very productive of you. Now for me this will be fun cause it is something that can be elusive. I really can't wait to see what comes of this one! Good one!

- www.niftyimages.com

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Pablo57
•6
1/29/06 3:18 AM

Thanks for the challenge and oppurtunity to learn. Number 7 is a memorable photo.

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Snowflake
•2
1/29/06 6:24 AM

Okay, this sounds like fun, since I know zippo about it either. This sure is a great site to learn on. I like 7 by the way.

- snowflake

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skate
•2
1/29/06 6:43 AM

This will be a challenge for us beginners. What is fstop? On my camera I can change exposure plus or minus, is this the same?

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surferguy
•7
1/29/06 6:46 AM

OKEYDOKEY>>>>>

- WoooFrigginHooo...

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lechar
•4
1/29/06 7:11 AM

I've struggled with this too. I hope that I will learn with you B. As for the pictures...looks good to me. I will have to agree with most #7 is terrific. For a second, I thought you captured my father's hand as he has that same blue/green shirt and his hand looks similiar. Well done! :)

- Jersey Girl

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MRQUACKERS
•7
1/29/06 7:39 AM

DOF. To me it looks like you got a good hand on the subject. My personal favorite was #3, though I think I would have focused on the yellow center.

- A quack with an camera

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codepoit
•5
1/29/06 8:13 AM

skate: exposure is not the same as fstop. When you hear someone say fstop, they are referring to aperture. Your camera may or may not let you adjust fstop, it all depends on the camera...

- I'm Special!

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KayN
•5
1/29/06 9:22 AM

Great theme, sis! Can't wait to get started on it! Looks like you've got a pretty good start on your learning! These pics are all great, I think!

- Ms.N

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BusyB1965
•4
1/29/06 9:35 AM

Thanks traderick and codepoit for the explainaions..am not good a trying to explain things. The #7 picture was taken yesterday afternoon in the mountains on the NC side in Cattaloochie...we had stopped to "tour" an old house and there was this couple there who had locked their keys in the truck...the ranger had just left them to go find something that they might could use in trying to get the door opened. Cecil (my husband) had suggested using a heavy wire so the owner and Cecil were trying to get the wire in and I thought..ok, see what kind of pictures I can get out of this........you would have to know Cecil to understand that he is not 100% patient with me when taking pictures.....I just kept clicking and finally he got a little upset with me..don't worry, I said, am not taking pictures of anyones face. Little sis will know exactly what I was going through.

- Blessings

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lilbit
•4
1/29/06 10:00 AM

The best pictures are never planned I think, that one is just great!

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austinspace
•4
1/29/06 10:13 AM

let the theme begin! Way to go, B!

- here and there

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codepoit
•5
1/29/06 10:29 AM

- Black & White: unofficial theme, no announcer - Dominant Color: austinspace - Shadows: codepoit - Walls & Fences: dirkbag - Word and Image: dennisjb - Edge: papercutphoto - Reflection: kikker - Flash: Photo Yaloo - Abstract: StevenWolf - Doors & Windows: ROCKADEE (7/1/05 - 7/15/05) - Strength & Determination: KayN (7/15/05 - 7/29/05) - Photographica Travelogue: Pyro43 (7/29/05 - 8/12/05) - Demons and Motivators: debora (8/12/05 - 8/26/05) - Close Ups: wilk (8/26/05 - 9/9/05) - Smile, Laughter, Make me Laugh!: AnyMoose Hero (9/9/05 - 9/23/05) - Music: throughtheeyesoflauramars (9/23/05 - 10/07/05) - 14/14 (14 things in 14 days): lilbit (10/7/05 - 10/21/05) - Explain Yourself: Penny (10/21/05 - 11/04/05) - Tributes and Thanks: jeffrey (11/4/05 - 11/18/05) - Rule of Thirds: jojames1 (11/18/05 - 12/2/05) - Before and After: surferguy (12/2/05 - 12/16/05) - A Child's Perspective: chef009 (12/16/05 - 12/31/05) - Best of 2005: Blizzard (12/31/05 - 1/14/06) - Childhood Treasures: Paulamouse (1/15/06 - 1/29/06) - Depth of Field: BusyB1965 (1/29/06 - 2/12/06) Up next: FranCes

- I'm Special!

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Paulamouse
•5
1/29/06 12:03 PM

BB I think we are going to have some fun with this one, excellent choice. I like all of your pics, especially the set up in Number 7, looks like a fun shot. BTW, your shot of the horse in number 1 is great, but the horse looks sad:-(

- Cheeze Pleeze

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soybeantown2
1/29/06 4:29 PM

I like this theme. t r a d e r i c k 's explanation is very good. It's been my experience that DOF is a sometimes difficult concept to verbalize - especially when you're not face to face. (because you can't use your hands or things to imply distances...) It's mostly a "spacial" concept. DOF can be a fantastic tool for photographers in my opinion. This should be very interesting and fun.

- soy

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SaxGuy
•3
1/29/06 5:51 PM

Some (most??) cheaper compacts don't have aperature adjustments, but some of the "picture modes" use different preset aperture settings. A "landscape" mode night have a smaller aperture and maybe, I don't know, a "portait" mode might have a larger one. (Your mileage may vary.) When I had my little Coolpix I used to take the same shot over and over in each mode and then compare the pics to see how it changed. (It's not a great option, but it may be the only one you've got.)

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skate
•2
1/29/06 8:24 PM

ok, I think I have the idea now. Thanks everyone!

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