Two paths to shallow depth of field

As photography geeks already know, when a lens is focused at a particular distance, theoretically only one plane will be perfectly sharp. That is, if a lens could have infinite resolution, there would be no depth of field at all. Of course, there is always a limit to resolution, because of diffraction and other considerations (how close to perfect is the lens design and construction? how great is the resolution of the camera? how closely will the image be viewed? will it be printed, and if so how large? will it be viewed at full resolution on a screen? what are the limitations of the eyesight of the viewer?). The combination of all of these factors leads to some wiggle room. From a practical standpoint, rather than a dimensionless plane of perfect sharpness surrounded by blurs on either side, there will be a kind of wedge of acceptable sharpness surrounding the plane of theoretical perfect focus. (Incidentally, that plane may be curved as a result of spherical aberration.)

Thanks to the same compromises listed above, we can also expand that "wedge" - region of apparent sharpness and detail - to a broad region by choosing a small lens opening. The effect is familiar from all of the landscape photos we see in which the depth of field extends to the closest and furthest objects shown in the scene. For now, though, let's look at ways to limit the depth of field (DOF), to confine clarity to as small an area as feasible.

The DOF will vary with magnification. The larger you make your subject within the area of the image, the shallower the DOF. This could be accomplished by simply moving closer or by using a longer focal length lens. Of course the longer focal length will mean a narrower angle of view is included in the picture. Although an object in the background might be equally blurred in a wide angle shot and a telephoto shot, that object will cover a larger area in the telephoto version, so it will look "softer".

Sometimes overlooked when considering DOF, but often of equal or greater significance, is the character of the blurred areas outside the region of sharp focus, and also the transition from crispness to softness. This will vary with different optical designs.

This first example photo was shot in response to a friend's comment about galactic images that were modified in Photoshop to create artificial transitions from in-focus to out. I did not do any software manipulation of this image. I used a tilt-shift lens (24mm), and instead of tilting the plane of focus to accommodate the "galactic" spray of leaves, I tilted it in the opposite direction, so that it intersected just a small spray of berries in the mid-ground. This gave a nice soft character to the foreground leaves and a reasonably soft background for a wide angle lens of middling aperture (f/3.5).

For this carved African bird, I used a more typical approach to the hunt for shallow DOF - a somewhat longer focal length (85mm) and a very wide aperture (f/1.2). Your attention is called to the eye, and what could have been a very distracting background becomes just some soft colors.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/01/two-paths-to-shallow-depth-of-field.html

www.jilcp.com

Wandering Cat

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've not been able to complete any blog posts for a couple of weeks. So, just to satisfy my hordes of followers, here is a cat. Just a wandering neighborhood cat. To add weight to this post, I'll provide the relevant exif statistics: ISO 500, 300mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec.

I plan to publish some more thoughtful things in the next few days, but really, the internet never tires of cat pictures, so I can't go wrong with this one, right?

By request, here is a known entity, our neighbor's cat Charlie:

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/01/wandering-cat.html

www.jilcp.com

nutcracker of the day

Many people seemingly never tire of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet. I also don't easily tire of watching this other type of nutcracker:

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/nutcracker-of-day.html

www.jilcp.com

Bride with Cake

Bride with cake at Woman's Club of Raleigh. Cake by Cinda's Creative Cakes.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/bride-with-cake.html

www.jilcp.com

Bride with Grand Piano

At the Woman's Club of Raleigh - Bride, Champagne, Grand Piano:

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/bride-with-grand-piano.html

www.jilcp.com

Waning Gibbous Moon

A full moon is a beautiful and impressive sight, but on a clear night a partial moon can reveal more of the shape of the lunar landscape. This is of course a result of the angle of the sunlight. Side-lighting tends to accentuate texture.

Here is the lovely Selene just past midnight tonight.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/waning-gibbous-moon.html

www.jilcp.com

Airborne Youth

Here's a photo that I've wanted to post since the moment I shot it, October 19. I've finally gotten permission, so here it is. The Rainbow Soccer League had some pretty good action going in the fall tournaments.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/airborne-youth.html

www.jilcp.com

Almost frozen fungus

An unusual mushroom appeared in the neighborhood and, perhaps thanks to cold weather, managed to retain its bizarre features for a few days. Thursday I had a chance to explore it with a camera while the light was good. I came up with three interpretations.

The fragment of an oak leaf in the photo above will give you an idea of scale. The closer views below encompass a width of ~35-40cm (about an inch and a half). A Canon 100mm macro lens let me move into life-size range without extra attachments.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/almost-frozen-fungus.html

www.jilcp.com

Convey the message with one image

Here's a photo from the close of a Durham Symphony Orchestra holiday pops concert, Dec. 6, 2013 at the Durham Armory. This is not a typical venue for a symphony concert, but there was lots of flat-floor space, with tables set up so that groups of people could enjoy tasty, festive comestibles and potables while enjoying the music and fun.

Because I was at the same level as the audience, when they rose for a standing ovation, I overcame my usual reserve and engaged my inner chutzpah. That is, I stood on a chair (an unstable plastic one at that) and shot over their heads. It was worth it to catch this moment. That is of course William Henry Curry, Music Director of the Durham Symphony.

I shot a lot of photos that evening, and of course good coverage of any event requires this. A photo essay would almost by definition include multiple images. Still, for me there's a fascination with the elusive goal of creating one image that tells enough of an interesting story that it stands on its own.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/convey-message-with-one-image.html

www.jilcp.com

Battle of the cuties

Hmm…what's a Pomeranian to do after the excitement of a Thanksgiving feast…play with a friendly pink sea creature?

Is that really a septopus? Perhaps one ought to battle a fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex for orts*?

Ah, the victory goes to the safe choice of a nap on a comfy pillow. The pillow may be soft, but not as fluffy-soft as the little dog's fur!

*An examination of dinosaur table scraps by paleontologists with more imagination than sense has led to the postulate that their diet included potato latkes and cranberry apple relish.

By the way, the lovely little dog "belongs" to a cousin once removed of yours truly. In light of how we often refer to our pets as our children (they do feel like that), I suppose I could refer to her as my cousin twice removed. The terminology of cousinhood is tortuous!

Lenses used: 85/1.2 for dog photos, 35/2 for dino.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/battle-of-cuties.html

www.jilcp.com