What is Depth of Field?

Figure 1: Shallow Depth of Field

          Depth of field can be described as the overall sharpness of the photography or distance within the photograph between nearest and farthest object in focus. Shallow depth of field is when only a small portion of the photograph is in focus (Figure 1) therefore a small distance between nearest and farthest object in focus. A deeper depth of field is when a lot of the photograph is in focus (Figure 2) therefore there is a larger distance between nearest and farthest object in focus.

Figure 2: Deep Depth of Field

          Generally, a deep depth of  field is used for landscapes and shallow depth of field is used for portraitures. This effect can be used to add perspective and include a lot of detail in landscapes and in the case of portraitures, it helps the photographer put emphasis on the subject, just as the photographer has done for the daisy in the foreground in Figure 1.