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3 Aperture

Mastering Aperture: Creating Shallow and Deep Depth of Field

Here is an example of a deep depth of field image (left) and a shallow depth of field (right). With a deep depth of field a large area of the image is in focus from front to back, in a shallow depth of field only a small area of the image is in focus. Photo by Eric Demattos CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution Non Commercial ShareAlike)

Aperture Priority mode (often denoted as “A” or “Av” on your DSLR’s mode dial) allows you to control the aperture while the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to achieve a correct exposure. This mode is particularly useful when you want to control depth of field, which is the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp in an image. Let’s explore how to use aperture to create a shallow depth of field, achieve the bokeh effect, and create a deep depth of field. Bokeh is a word not often used outside of photography so let’s take a moment to define what it is:

The bokeh effect in photography refers to the aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas in an image, characterized by soft, pleasing circles of light. Achieved by using a wide aperture (low f-stop number) Bokeh enhances the visual appeal of a photograph by blurring the background while keeping the subject in sharp focus. This effect is particularly popular in portrait and nature photography, where it isolates the subject and creates a dreamy, artistic backdrop. The term “bokeh” comes from the Japanese word “boke,” meaning “blur” or “haze,” and is used to describe the beautiful, diffused spots of light that appear when background points of light are rendered out of focus.

 

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Learning Digital Photography Copyright © by Eric Demattos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.