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20/20 Photo Challenge : Being creative with “depth of field”

This month we are really getting down to the nitty gritty of photography. Jude is challenging us to move away from the automatic mode and start using other camera settings. This week it is experimenting with the “aperture”.Go here to Jude’s post, she gives an excellent description of how to use it.

It is too cold and wet today to be in the garden, so a good day to be messing about in my “art/play room”.

This week's assignment - Take three images of a chosen subject at
 three different aperture ranges. 
Low (shallow like f/1.8),
 medium (intermediate like f/5.6) 
and high (deep like f/11). 
Which photo pleases you the most. Why is that?

I have 2 cameras a Cannon Powershot SX 40 and a smaller Cannon Powershot SX 720. The main camera that I carried everywhere with me as we traveled around Australia is the Cannon Powershot SX 40. It never left my shoulder. But when we stopped travelling I decided I needed a smaller camera that would fit in my bag so bought the Cannon Powershot SX 720. So I checked their settings to see what they will do. Yes they both have an “AV” aperture setting. So here goes…

This is my big camera, taken with the small camera with aperture settings from left to right of 3.3, 5.6 and 8.0. The smallest to largest it had available.

Doesn’t seem to be much difference…

Then using this big camera I set up a rather messy still life in my art/play room. It is a very untidy place as I have been working on a number of projects whilst at home.

The big cameras apertures were from left to right 2,7, 5.6 and 8.0… Still doesn’t seem much difference.

 

This is the smaller SX 720 camera taken with the bigger camera. It’s smallest aperture, from left to right, was 2.7 then the 5.6 and 8.0 were the same on both cameras.

Then using this camera I took the same 3 still lives. Left to right 3.3, 5.6 and 8.0

Well I do not have a favourite as they all look alike so I’m not sure that this was a success, but I tried. I will maybe have another attempt when the weather clears and set something up outside. Maybe my cameras haven’t a wide enough range of apertures to get the affect I’m aiming for. Or maybe I need a better subject. But then don’t they say “the bad work man/woman blames the tools”…

So come on all you camera buffs give it a go. Read Jude’s post and see what you can do.

20 comments

  4. Well I appreciate your commitment Pauline. I struggled with this too as I wasn’t seeing much difference with my camera. I think it also depends on the scene you choose. I think the second set have the most noticeable differences. I’d have another attempt with my camera, but we have rain again now. Typical summertime!

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  6. I did the same experiment years ago with a camera and 50mm lens, but at the small aperture numbers I was as close to the subject as my focus would allow then I took a step back with each aperture change up.

    That taught me a lot about how to “tell my story” in a picture. Smaller aperture number it’s just about my subject blurring the background out, larger apertures tell a bigger story keeping more or all of the scene in focus. It’s a good exercise.

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  8. From what I can see, the main difference is how much background is included. The still life images make this most apparent as we can see more or less of the color palettes and images on the wall. Perhaps something with a variable pattern would make the contrast more dramatic.

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