We can use our photographs to show other people things we like. Take these cut flowers for example. Last week I was impressed by the fresh, clean table settings in a small, rural café. It’s an easy task to e-mail such a snap to a far-away friend, but I wanted to be selective about the blooms, rather than include every random, irrelevant item in sight.
Photographers who use what the camera gives them must work mostly with what they choose to include in an image. This, naturally, leads to deciding what to exclude.
The glowing flowers were very conveniently and comfortably close. From my chair, the camera’s viewing screen showed the confused, cluttered background I've shown below.
I really wanted to isolate the petals' backlit colours against much darker, neutral tones, but I lacked a studio. Fortunately, a dark blue car was parked in the street outside. By getting up, then moving back, I was able to zoom in to the flowers. Doing this allowed me to be selective, by automatically narrowing the field of view behind them, confining it to anonymous areas of the car and pavement. The physical laws of optics are, happily, constant, and therefore predictable, so I knew the lens had no alternative but to give me the free bonus of a blurred backdrop. Although no studio was involved, I’d combined knowledge with technique, to achieve the more selective shot I’d wanted.
Beautifully done. I often find digital cameras don't give enough control over depth of field.
Posted by: Lee | June 12, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Great tip! Thanks! (beautiful picture too!) :-)
Posted by: Susan | June 13, 2009 at 06:28 AM
Thank you, Susan.
Thanks Lee. If the camera does not allow manual control of aperture and/or shutter speed, then the old "zoom in, move out" Gaussian Optics trick can sometimes be further enhanced by forcing a smaller aperture. This is achieved by setting a higher ISO speed.
Posted by: Peter Bryenton | June 13, 2009 at 08:11 PM
you, sir, are a magician with a camera.
Posted by: pauline | June 14, 2009 at 12:09 AM
Pauline: Thanks. "Watch the birdie."
Posted by: Peter Bryenton | June 14, 2009 at 05:48 PM
Lovely picture Peter...so crisp and fresh. This weekend I tried out the telephoto lens (with macro setting) that came with the used N65 I just picked up on Craig's List. As soon as I have them developed, I'll post one. From what I could see through the viewfinder, it looked very sharp, and I was able to get very close up.
Posted by: Donna | June 15, 2009 at 03:51 AM
Thanks, Donna. Looking forward to seeing what your new glass does for your pictures.
Posted by: Peter Bryenton | June 15, 2009 at 12:37 PM
What a beautiful picture. I'm glad I took some time to stop by.
Posted by: shara | June 28, 2009 at 01:32 AM
Local time announcement: Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Lee | July 06, 2009 at 09:12 PM
If the camera does not allow manual control of aperture and/or shutter speed, then the old "zoom in, move out" Gaussian Optics trick can sometimes be further enhanced by forcing a smaller aperture. This is achieved by setting a higher ISO speed.
In this situation, wouldn't you want a lower ISO to force a wider aperture and shallower depth of field ?
Posted by: Howerd | July 18, 2009 at 05:08 PM