Depth of Field: Answers

Example 1: Boy on Soccer Field - for photographic effect, only the boy is in the field of sharp focus which is close to the camera. Can you guess from the discussion above whether a high f-stop or low f-stop setting was used in this shot?

Answer: A low F-stop was used and the focus was on the boy. The photographer could have made the goal and other players sharp and the boy blurred by using the approach in Example 2 below.

Example 2: Only the church steeple in the far distance is in the field of sharp focus. Was a high or low f-stop used for this shot?

Answer: A low F-stop was used and the focus was on the church. The photographer could have made the building materials sharp and the church blurred by using the approach in Example 1 above -- eg by using a low f-stop but focusing on the building materials.

Example 3: Only the flower, very close to the lens is in focus. The field of focus is very small. Was a high or a low f-stop used for this shot?

Answer: A low F-stop was used and the focus was on the flower. The photographer could have made the background leaves sharp and the flower blurred by using the same low f-stop and focusing on the leaves. Or, everything [flower plus background leaves] could have bee put in focus by using a high f-stop [e.g., f-22].