DOF – Depth of Field

DOF – Depth of Field: refers to how much of a photo is also in sharp focus when the camera is focused on the main subject. Depth of Field is controlled by the camera’s aperture or f-stop in conjunction with the focal length of the lens and the camera to subject distance. Greater (deep) Depth of Field means that all or most of the image is in focus behind and in front of the focused subject. Shallow (less) DOF means that the focused subject is sharp, but less in front and behind are included in the sharp focus. A more open lens diameter or f-stop, such as f-1.4, will create a shallow Depth of Field; whereas, a more stopped-down and smaller diameter or f-stop, such as f-16, will create greater Depth of Field.