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L A N G F O R D ’ S S TA R T I N G P H O T O G R A P H Y
Figures 21.6 and 21.7 Morning glory. (Left) Using f4 and 1/250 second. (Right) Using f16 and 1/15 second. The former version has a less distracting background and looks more threedimensional. Hazy daylight from above and behind helps to reveal form.
Depth of field Depth of field decreases as you move closer to your subject, even though you use the same lens aperture (e.g. a lens focused on something 1.5 m away might give nearly 20 cm depth of field, but this shrinks to only 3 cm depth when the same lens is focused for 0.45 m). This means that your focusing must be very precise, as there is little latitude for error. Where possible, arrange your camera viewpoint so that all the parts of the subject you need to show pin sharp are about the same distance from the lens. Provided that every part of the subject where you must show detail is sharp, rendering things at other distances out of focus helps to isolate them, erasing clutter. A manual camera with depth of field preview button is very useful here – observing image appearance as you alter the lens aperture setting will give you a good idea of the extent of sharp detail (although you must get used to the screen getting darker as the aperture is reduced in size). Alternatively, digital camera users can use the ‘shoot and review’ process to ensure that the zone of focus is where you want it (see Figures 21.6 and 21.7).
Garden flower close-ups Flowers are a rich source of color, pattern, texture and form. Lighting is therefore very important. Shooting against diffused sunlight out in the garden is a good way to show the transparency of petals and leaves, emphasized by shadowed background. Back- or sideFigure 21.8 Good lighting is essential for close-up work, as low light levels can contribute to aperture and shutter speed settings that produce shallow depth of field and perhaps even some camera shake.
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lighting also reveals the stalks and other structural detail in a three-dimensional way. Direct sunlight from