Photography Lesson No.1. Selective Focusing.

As explained in my earlier post, "Photography Lessons. Why?", this post will concern the technique needed to show a girl in a crowd highlighted by being in sharp focus while all around her are out of focus. Easily obtained in a few seconds with your camera and without spending hours editing your photographs with Adobe Photoshop or similar picture editing software. The technique can be equally applied to any number of subjects, it is often used to photograph a small flower head in sharp focus with a blurred background for example.

Selective Focusing in this case is created by adjusting Depth of Field. Depth of Field is the amount of a subject either side of the main focus point which is still in focus, i.e. the amount in front and behind which is still in focus. In the case of our girl in a crowd there should be very little in front and behind her in focus i.e. we require a narrow depth of field.

So how do we create this? Simple, we adjust the f stop on the lens aperture ring. A small f stop number which gives a large aperture, say f2.8, will provide a narrow depth of field so few children if any in front or behind our girl will be in focus. A large f stop number which gives a small lens aperture, say f16, puts a great deal in front and behind our girl in focus. It's as simple as that.

Now, like all creative techniques it is best to practice before you use them for real. If you are lucky enough to have a digital SLR you can take as many practice pictures as you want at nil cost so there is no excuse. If you have a SLR film camera you can still practice reasonably well using the preview function. I suggest that if your camera offers an 'aperture priority' setting you select it now as it gives you much less to worry about particularly if you want to take actual photographs during your practice session. To practice I suggest you find something like a picket fence or similar which has clearly defined uprights, focus on something about 2 metres away and set the lens aperture to about f2.8 or the smallest number (widest aperture) you have available. Now either by taking a photo or using preview have a look at how much is in focus, hopefully the upright you set your focus to and very little in front or behind it. Now as a comparison set a large f stop number, say f22 which gives a small aperture, and compare the difference. You should now have not only your chosen upright but nearly everything else as well. I recomend that you now try the same exercise with several f stops in between to get the feel of what happens with your particular lens and camera. The more you do this the better because the best pictures are nearly always taken 'on the hoof' and previous practice will greatly increase your chances of success. There is a small cheat you can use, if you look on your lens you should find a depth of field guide which will help you to know approximately how much will be in focus. I say approximately because they can be a little crude and cannot replace experience gained with your equipment.

So that's the basics of Selective Focusing using Depth of Field. At this point I should point out that depth of field changes with the focal length of the lens, a wide angle lens will have less depth of field than a telephoto, so if you have more than one lens you should practice with them all or at least the ones you use most. If you have a zoom lens like an 18-135mm then the amount of depth of field will change greatly between the 18 and 135 settings.

Hopefully all is clear. If not please ask me questions via a comment. Additionally if you have any questions on photography I would enjoy answering them, it will help me know what to put in my next Photography Lesson.

Now, "Go Out And Practice".

Local News: Bridge Lorry, Lorry Bridge

Bit of excitement in Sutton Bridge last night. Man steals car transporter, police chase follows, police ask bridge operator to lower barriers, man drives car transporter through barriers apparently on wrong side, police stop him with stinger 16 miles away having chased him for 40 miles in total. I'm not making it up, have a look here.
I'm glad I live in sleepy old Long Sutton these days.

Photography Lessons. Why?

A friend of mine is very fortunate to have a digital SLR camera. The other day he very proudly showed to me a picture he had created, it was of his young niece at her birthday party, in a crowd, reaching up to take something from the entertainer. My friend had taken the photograph and then at home spent a considerable amount of time, using Adobe Photoshop,editing it so that his niece was in focus while all around her was out of focus. This is a technique often used to create a visual highlight of one element of a picture, in this case the niece, and it can be very effective. He had achieved what he wanted but agreed with me that the results were somewhat crude. I asked him how long it had taken to create this effect and his mumbled answer of "an hour or so" suggested it was more like two. He was astonished and embarrassed in equal measure when I explained that with a good camera like his it was possible to create this effect when taking the picture, it only takes a couple of seconds to set up, the transition between in and out of focus elements would be more subtle and professional and if he didn't like the result when viewed on the camera he would still be 'on-site' and could try again. It became apparent that although my friend is an early adopter of new technology, there is still a gap between the new techniques of using modern software and the old skills of using the camera to do the work, the skills I was taught over thirty years ago. It was at my friends suggestion that I decided to start a series of photography lessons here on my blog, passing on some of the basic camera techniques as taught to me. I would never claim to be an expert but hopefully I can pass on something useful or enjoyable from the experience I have. With my friend's experience in mind I will call the first lesson Selective Focusing. I will now pour myself a large Bells and start writing, the lesson will be posted separately in the next day or two. Hopefully blog readers might like to suggest future photography lessons or indeed ask questions about photography for me to answer, it would certainly help me to know what to write next. It will help keep me occupied while saving for my goal of buying my dream camera, a Nikon D80 Digital SLR!

Whisky of the Week No.1. Bells.

Bells Whisky - I know I'm a fan of single malt whisky but occasionally the pocket doesn't stretch that far and a compromise has to be reached to enable regular whisky consumption. In this case a Christmas gift which had lain in the back of the cupboard awaiting a desperate moment. Well the moment has arrived and, to be honest, it never ceases to amaze me how good this whisky blend is. OK, it's not a fine single malt, but as far as an everyday drink is concerned I have to rate it as one of the best. A pleasant mixture with a hint of brandy, a later taste of peat and finally just enough fire to leave a warm glow without making you cough. Highly recommended. 6/10 on the Sloshometer.

Bad Car Driver No.1. Whaplode.

Last Saturday driving through Whaplode on the limit at 40mph when the leading car in my line of traffic sees a speed camera and brakes hard down to 30, obviously not aware of the speed limit he should keep to. The cars following him braked even harder swerving left to the pavement and right toward the opposite lane of traffic. Not sure who is in the wrong here, a)the bloke driving the car in front for not being aware of the speed limit and panicking because he saw a speed camera, b) the traffic following him who were obviously too close (except me, of course) or the Police/Government for placing speed cameras on straight, open roads. Perhaps they all are. Doesn't it make you angry?