HOW TO: Depth Of Field-An Alternative

In a post last week I discussed Depth of Field, and used a photo of a rhododendron flower head to illustrate shallow depth of field. I liked the shape of the flower head, and wanted to isolate it from it’s surroundings. By using a wide aperture setting and the appropriate shutter speed to give a proper exposure, I was able to put the background out of focus. And by doing so, the center of interest became the flower head.

I visited the site a few days later hoping the buds had opened so I could capture the flowers in mass with a more apparent depth of field. Using a smaller aperture and the appropriate shutter speed to give a proper exposure, produces in increase in depth of field, allowing the majority of the image in to be in focus. In this photo the emphasis is on the groups of flowers.

The sky was bright but overcast, and it had just begun to rain when I took this hand-held photo of this cluster of Rhododendron blossoms. I’m glad I took this shot of the flowers when I did because it’s been raining for two days straight. With that much rain, I will probably have to wait until next year to photograph these flowers again.

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