- Shallow focus
Shallow focus is a photographic and cinematographic technique incorporating a small
depth of field . In shallow focus one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus. Shallow focus typically is used to emphasize one part of the image over another. Photographers sometimes refer to the area that is out of focus asbokeh .The opposite of shallow focus is
deep focus , in which the entire image is in focus. Deep focus photographic technique more closely approximates what is seen by thehuman eye .How To
A shallow focus is achieved by using a big
aperture in conjunction with a long lens or a close subject distance. Common lenses used in still photography to achieve a shallow focus are 50/1.4, 85/1.8, and 135/2.Further, using a camera with a large sensor helps; in still photography, large format inherently has narrower focus than 35 mm, which is still narrower than compact digital cameras. If you can choose what format to use, go with the largest sensor available.
Shallow focus is often used in portraiture, to isolate the subject from the background.
Examples
In the film, "
The Rules of the Game " (1939 ), a couple flirts in the foreground while the woman's husband enters in the background. DirectorJean Renoir chooses to keep the husband out-of-focus so that his presence is hinted, but not emphasized.ee also
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Depth of field
*Portrait
*Canon EF Portrait Lenses External links
* [http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/bokeh_background_blur.html Background blur] , discussion and calculator.
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