Fixing Depth of field

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Transcript

Hi Karen again from the photography playground. Welcome back. I was wondering, did you stop using your zoom? And are you holding your phone horizontally? Okay, then you're ready for this lecture how to fix the large steps of field. compensation is important in any type of photography.

In smartphone photography, it may be even more important because you're missing one vital element and that's the control of the aperture setting. You do not have the possibility to photograph with a shallow depth of field. The photo on the left was taken with my smartphone and it has a large depth of field. The leaves of the plant are razor sharp from tip to root. The one on the right was taken with my DSLR it's actually the same plant and the standpoint and angle are the same as well. The only difference in these two images is the aperture setting on my DSLR I photographed It was a large lens opening resulting in a very shallow depth field.

The only sharp areas in the image are the tips of the leaves. The outer focus areas become something completely new because the shallow depth of field creates a new reality. Apart from creating new realities, a shallow depth of field is important in blurring the cluttered and distracting background. When a background is not contributing to your story, you simply open up your lens and create a blurry background, making the subject stand out. Well, we can't do that in smartphone photography. You have to develop different strategies to keep your background uncluttered and clean.

Let me show you my point. There is a lot of stuff going on in the photo on the left. Yes, we see fruit cart but we also see people walking on the street and our eyes are somehow attracted to the street behind the fruit cart. The lines of the street and the bright area in the back are irresistible to our eyes. We keep wandering through the image and we got a little lost because there is no point of attention, no clear subject. We have no idea what this image is trying to To tell us in a photo on the right, it is clear in one glance what this photo is about.

There are no distracting elements. The background is in addition to the image, but it's nothing more than the background. It gives the image body and although our eyes are wandering in this photo as well, it's very clear what is the point of attention. It's a different wondering. The photo guides the eyes through the image showing us the colors, the details, the moment and the surroundings. It tells the story of two guys earning a fruit card making a living side by side industry to have greater Hana in smartphone photography, the unawareness of the distracting elements caused by the large depth of field is quite often the reason the photo isn't working.

But how can you fix that? You can make the background work by looking for backgrounds close by there will be an addition to your scene. This is simply a case of recognizing the situation as you encounter it. There's not much you can orchestrate in the shop. Like this, you walk by, you see it and you react, seizing the opportunity. You can also make the large steps field work by looking for faraway views, they will do justice to the large steps of field.

This is also a case of recognizing the opportunity, being aware and attentive of your surroundings and seizing the moment. And you can make your prospective work by adjusting your standpoint and angle. If you find yourself in a situation where the background is cluttered and distracting, there's no way you can make the background work for your photo. Then you need to adjust your standpoint to get rid of the background. Have a look behind the scenes. See how I'm working machine to get rid of all the noise.

All the elements that are not in addition to my photo, the distractions and end up with the shot I was after. This is Lisbon during Santos its history celebration. I was struck by the man grilling the sardines. In the smoke, this first shot is to see if it has potential and to check the exposure, I could see that the table full of people waiting for their sardines was very distracting. I also think the most interesting person in the scene is the man wearing the black shirt. So I moved a little to the left and try to get a little higher.

But by moving to the left, the tables become even more distracting. I'm moving closer and higher and it gets better, but it's still not good enough. I want my attention point on the face of the man. I move even closer with my camera higher and press the shutter as His face is turning to the camera, just as he's getting the sardines out of the pan. In the post processing phase, I crop it a little bit to get rid of the rest of the distracting elements. strolling through Lisbon I encountered this friendly guy talking to the pigeons and feeding them.

So I take a photo but I'm not pleased with how it looks. There's too much going on in the background. way too much people walking by a garbage bin, a bicycle and a view that is overexposed. So I am again moving closer and higher. By coming as close and as high as I can without disturbing the man, I'm getting rid of almost all the distracting elements. And I'm pressing the shutter the moment the man and the pigeon seem to have a nice conversation.

Again, in the post processing phase, I get rid of the distracting elements I couldn't get rid of during photographing. So patience, working the scene and anticipating the moment is what will get you there not being satisfied with what is given to you in a first shot, or even a second. You keep at it until you have to show up that makes you happy. I will see you again in the next lecture and until then happy photographing.

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