Controlling DOF
Photography Basics

Controlling Depth of Field

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The 2 Factors That Control DOF:

The two primary factors that affect DOF are:

  • the distance from the lens to the subject
  • the f-stop being used

Let’s look at each one of these separately.

DISTANCE:

The closer your subject is to the camera lens, the less depth of field you will have.

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Photography Basics

Photo Composition – Choose Your Subject

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Choosing Your Subject

Every good photo has a subject, and in a great photo the subject is what attracts the viewer immediately.

A Facial Expression as the Subject
A Facial Expression as the Subject

In some photos, the subject may be quite obvious … an expressive face, a colorful Autumn landscape, or some sort of dramatic news event.

And in others, the subject may be more subtle – a pensive mood, a mischievous glance, or perhaps just the feeling you experience while viewing something you like.

You may want to ask yourself what exactly am I trying to communicate about this subject. Is my subject a single object or person? Or is it many things combined so as to express a single idea?

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Photography Basics

Photo Composition – Rule of Thirds

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A well known rule of composition is the “rule of thirds”.

Rule of Thirds Grid
Rule of Thirds Grid

Imagine your image divided into a grid of 9 equal parts, similar to a tic tac toe grid.

Where these lines intersect are known as power points, or strong points of interest. Artists have been applying this rule for centuries.

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Composition in Photography
Photography Basics

Composition In Photography

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Photo composition is all about the art of subjective arrangement … what to do with all that stuff. Composition is really about choices.

Green - Composition in Photography
Green - Composition in Photography

What is your subject?

What do you want to say about the subject?

Or what is the subject saying about you?

What do you include and what do you leave out?

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Photography Basics

Digital Photography Terms

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Glossary of Photography Terms

Want to know more about apertures and f-stops, shutter speeds, understanding depth of field and how you can use them to take better pictures? In this section many of the digital photography terms you’ll encounter are explained in detail.

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