ShootSm.art

← all terms

Depth of Fieldtechnical

How much of the scene, front to back, appears sharp.

See it

Drag to see the effect (illustrative simulation).

Wide open — background melts awayf/2

Compare real photos

f/1.8f/11
f/1.8f/11
The same shot at f/1.8 vs f/11 — wide open melts the background, stopped down keeps it sharp.

Depth of field is driven by aperture, focal length, and subject distance. Wide apertures, long lenses, and close subjects all make it shallower (more background blur); narrow apertures and wide lenses make more of the scene sharp.

Use this when

  • Isolate a subject: wide aperture, get closer, longer lens
  • Everything sharp: narrow aperture, step back, wider lens

Common mistake: Expecting f/2.8 to keep a whole group sharp — someone will be soft.

Related

Aperture (f-stop)Hyperfocal DistanceBokehFocal Length