Depth of field

Some folks have been curious regarding the effect changing the aperture has on an image.  Here's four shots of some chives in my back yard.  The focus point is the same on each image, but the aperture has changed from  f2.8 through to f16.  You'll notice that not only is there an increase in the number of chive flowers that are in focus, but also the background becomes a little busier and more distracting.

Looking at the last image highlights just how many daisies there are in my grass!!  As such I much prefer the first image as you can't tell they're there at all :-)

Chives, 200mm, f2.8

Chives, 200mm, f4

Chives, 200mm, f8

Chives, 200mm, f16

Here's a couple more shots for comparison for you.  This time the apertures are f1.4 and f2.8.  It doesn't seem like there'd be a big difference between shots taken at these two apertures, but perhaps there's more than you expect?  With the white flowers there's more patches of blur that I find a little off putting when compared to the second shot at f2.8.  Also, if you look at the flower in sharp focus it's rather better defined in the f2.8 image.

Looking at the last two shots f1.4 really helps the flower stand out from the background and I was quite amazed by the difference in depth of field between these two shots.

85mm, f1.4

85mm f2.8

85mm f1.4

85mm f2.8

Big Apertures.

Rain drops on the washing line.

Just experimenting with lenses wide open again.  It's quite interesting how great the effect can be on just how much of the image is focussed and discernable.  Take the first shot for example.  Almost everything is blurred except for a few water droplets towards the centre of the image.  Click on the photo to get an enlarged view.  I've always found wide apertures and shallow depth of field to be interesting.  Perhaps it's because your eye never seems to do this.  As soon as you look at something it's automatically focussed, so even though there is some blur away from the centre of your vision you never seem to notice them being "soft".  As soon as you look at them, they're focussed.

Somewhat rampant ground cover under the washing line #1

Somewhat rampant ground cover under the washing line #2

Clematis, but this time in colour

In a photograph, however, you can look at all the objects in a scene in which some are focussed, and some are not.  This allows the photographer to emphasise certain objects not only by position, but by selective focus also.  The following two images may give an idea of this.  Please click on an image to get an enlarged view.  Certainly in the second shot below there's one flower that catches your eye because it's the only one in focus.

The last shot for this post is of the Clematis on the run down fence.  Aperture was now at f4, but with a longer lens and shortish distance between flower and lens there's still a pleasantly shallow depth of field.  Enough of the background is focussed for you to appreciate the context in which the flower exists, but it isn't such as to overwhelm the main subject of the image, the Clematis flower.

Somewhat damp!

Fern clinging to the wall.

It's been pretty wet today here in Auckland.  Grey skies and rather damp to be honest.  Thankfully we haven't suffered anywhere near as much as other areas of the country where they've received a couple of months worth of rain in a day or two and are now mopping up after the floods.  No, we're rather more fortunate and the rain is just an inconvenience really.

So there I am, keen to take some shots, and it's rather wet.  I did notice, however, this little fern, clinging to a small crevice in a wall near the house.  The plant wil have to go as its roots will just remove the concrete and damage my wall, but the contrast between the bricks and the fern were rather pleasing to my eye.

I shot this image at quite a wide aperture and was more than slightly intrigued with the effect on the bricks to the right of the image.  Somewhat strange how the layer of concrete seems to grow whereas the bricks, if anything, seem to shrink.  Very odd!

I'll leave you with a few more shots of the fern.  Perhaps let me know if you prefer the landscape or portrait shot and also monochrome or colour.

Monochrome version of the first shot in this post.

Landscape version of the image, in colour. 

Same as shot #3, but now in monochrome with special emphasis on the fern's green leaves

A cropped version of shot #3.

Cropped version of shot #3, with a monochrome treatment,