That's why, in this article, I'm going to share everything you need to know about shallow and deep depth of field, including: How to achieve the perfect DoF. When to use a shallow or a deep depth of field. Lots of examples depicting the power of different DoF effects. Plenty of helpful tips along the way. Depth of Field: The Definitive Photography Guide | PhotoPills Academy You've heard the advice a million times: "Master depth of field, and your photos will magically look much better." Just to mention one example. Photography master and author, , in his great book, 'Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques' Matt Crawford 0 Depth of field is more than just a side effect of using a wide aperture. It can be used to creatively blur the background and create focus on foreground subjects, or it can be used to make objects in the foreground stand out by blurring everything behind them. Some of the most beautiful shots have used a shallow depth of field, as well as some of the most disturbing shots (still beautiful in their own way). You need to use subject matter, performance, lighting, color, and camera movement to help with the rest of the journey. SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD EXAMPLE: Deep depth of field examples Here are a few solid examples of photos featuring a deep DoF. As you can see, the scenes are consistently sharp from the nearest foreground element to the most distant background element. Note the way that the crisp details help draw you into the frame: Shallow depth of field examples Depth of field, or often abbreviated as DoF, is arguably one of the defining characteristics of the medium of photography. We touched on depth of field photography in A Complete Guide to Aperture, mostly in relation to aperture's ability to creatively implement blur as a tool in isolating your subject. DEEP DEPTH OF FIELD DEFINITION What is deep depth of field? A deep depth of field is a larger area in focus, as it keeps more of the image sharp and clear. It is sometimes referred to a large depth of field. Because it has a larger field of view in focus, deep depths of field are best for landscapes. Focal length. A short focal length (or wide-angle lens) will usually have a deeper depth of field. And a longer focal length, like a telephoto lens, will often have a more shallow depth of field. You can see below as the lens gets longer, the image around the subject gets blurrier. c2QqBsw.