September 2009 Workshop - Depth of Field

David tackled one of the more difficult to understand aspects of photography, especially for beginners, and explained it in a way that hopefully, will start making sense to those trying to improve their photographic skills.

He began by explaining in simple terms, just what apertures are, what they do and how the different numbers relate to each other. He used slides to illustrate the effects of using various apertures, photographing a subject at different distances and using different focal length lenses.

The key points were on how to control how much of your image will be in focus by using the most appropriate aperture setting and where your point of focus should be to obtain your desired results.

David set up a number of stations for everyone to practice on.  Some were set up primarily for macro work and others for wide angle.  Quite a few members had brought their cameras and tripods and took advantage of the opportunity.  David and others were offering assistance to anyone who appeared to need it.

If you were present and still haven’t quite grasped the concept of depth of field, don’t feel bad, because it takes most of us a long time to be comfortable in choosing the appropriate aperture for the effect we want.

Thanks David, for setting up and conducting a great workshop.  Even those who didn’t bring their cameras had a very enjoyable evening.

 

Article and photos by John Shedrick