In this series of pictures I have been experimenting with depth of field and bokeh. Depth of field is basically how much depth along the line of sight (of the camera) is in focus. The area before and after that part of the line of sight are out of focus. Bokeh refers the quality of that area (usually behind the subject forming the background) out of focus.
Depth of field is a function of the aperture, focal length of the lens and the distance of the subject. All the shots below, except the last one, where taken within the range of 15 – 30 cms. At that distance from the subject, the depth of field is about 0.25-1.11 cms. However, boost the distance to say 10 meters and the depth of field increases dramatically (e.g., f/4.8, 23mm DOF=20m)
f/4.0, 16.7mm: The subject is in focus with a nicely blurred background. The blur of the background helps make the flower stand out and highlight the crispness of detail of the flower.
f/5.6, 15.6mm: a darker and flatter background helps highlight the brightness of the flower.
f/4.9, 25.2mm: Close up of an Hydrangea. At this aperture and focal length the depth of field is less than 1cm
f/4.9, 23.2: Close up of the front and side of an Hydrangea. Here one can see the petals enter the field of focus. The picture below expands on a region showing an interior view of the flower head.
f/4.9 25.2mm. This shot of a Canna Lilly is interesting because it shows in one shot the effect of darker vs. lighter backgrounds. It may be a matter of taste but I think the darker background at the top of the flower helps highlight the colour and the sharpness of the edges.
Click on slideshow to see a larger rendition of these and other photographs in the series.
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