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Feb 2, 2016 18:33:10   #
CharleneT Loc: South Carolina
 
Cannon, Thank you for your thoughts. Where would I find good information on this 3D effect?

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Feb 4, 2016 18:48:46   #
canon Lee
 
CharleneT wrote:
Cannon, Thank you for your thoughts. Where would I find good information on this 3D effect?


Charlene thank you for your kind reply. I don't want you to confuse programs that create 3D modeling effects, with the one I was commenting on. Photographers take advantage of the fact that our eyes can only "focus" on one thing at a time, where a camera can sharply focus on everything in the shot. Try this; place one finger to the side of your face and focus on something straight ahead, and you will notice how your finger will disappear. We photographers like blurred out backgrounds ( called bokeh a Japanese word for blurr) as it makes the subject stand out ,being tack sharp, creating the illusion of a 3D effect. http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2016/01/25/what-is-depth-of-field-in-photography-how-aperture-focal-length-and-focus-control-sharpness/

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Feb 4, 2016 18:58:10   #
canon Lee
 
CharleneT wrote:
The more I think about my photo, it was in the room with natural light. I didn't want to use my flash. I was on my A setting since I needed to adjust the amount of light to be able to see Leah, thus shortening my DOF. If I wanted her whole body in focus but keep the natural light, I would have to focus further down her body, like her shoulders. Am I right?

If I wanted to back up, I would need to increase my ISO so I could increase the aperture to bring her into focus? Then again focus further down her body to get all of her in focus?
The more I think about my photo, it was in the roo... (show quote)


Hi. I think you have arrived at a time when you need to move off of Auto and use Aperture priority mode. Open your Aperture to let more light in and move closer. 3 things you will learn about Aperture priority to control DOF is distance from subject, focal length, & aperture opening. Have fun moving controls around to see the effects.

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Feb 6, 2016 01:35:17   #
tinwhistle
 
I'm new here and feel a bit odd about jumping in at this point in this thread as there has been a lot of really good advice, but it seems to me that Charlene is ready for a (hands on) photography course at, say, the local community college, or even a tutorial at a camera shop. Something where a live human can walk her through this "depth of field" issue. As a former photography instructor I found that DOF is one of the hardest concepts to grasp.

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Nov 9, 2020 21:32:22   #
MJG Loc: Bonita Springs, FL
 
I’m trying to attach my photo here. At first I thought your dog, Leah, was my dog, Mila. I hope both photos show together (if I did it right). Amazing resemblance!



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Nov 12, 2020 21:20:57   #
10MPlayer Loc: California
 
First, I agree with the person who said having the dog's face in focus and the body soft was a nice effect. But, to answer your question here's a long rambling post or two:

It's called depth of field. It is controlled by the size of the hole that lets light into the camera, known as the aperture. The bigger the hole the shallower the depth of field. By shallower I mean less of the image is in focus. The smaller the hole the deeper the depth of field, or more of the image is in focus. I suggest that if you don't understand this concept you do some reading about the "exposure triangle". Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is a well written and non-technical book that explains everything you need to know about it in plain language.

Everything about exposing a photograph is controlled by the exposure triangle. If you change one leg of the triangle it affects the other two legs. It's a balancing act. Everything you do affects something else. Everything is a tradeoff. Kind of like life.

CharleneT wrote:

Then again focus further down her body to get all of her in focus?

Not really. When shooting people or animals it's always good practice to focus on the eyes. Humans are always attracted to the eyes and when the eyes are out of focus we quickly lose interest. So, if you have to choose between the eyes and the rest of the dog's body, choose to focus on one of her eyes. Otherwise, you have the right idea. Increase the ISO (sensitivity of the sensor) and close the hole (aperture). Making the hole or aperture smaller makes more of the image in focus but it cuts down the amount of light so you need either more light, higher ISO, or a longer shutter speed.

tinwhistle wrote:
I'm new here and feel a bit odd about jumping in at this point in this thread as there has been a lot of really good advice, but it seems to me that Charlene is ready for a (hands on) photography course at, say, the local community college, or even a tutorial at a camera shop. Something where a live human can walk her through this "depth of field" issue. As a former photography instructor I found that DOF is one of the hardest concepts to grasp.


I agree. The exposure triangle is probably the hardest thing to understand because there are so many moving parts. I was fortunate enough to have a community learning exchange where you could take classes for a very nominal fee. Local professional photographers would give classes to small groups of 5-10 people for a very small amount of money. Unfortunately, the people who owned the exchange decided to close it down a couple of years ago. When I was young and using film and had my own darkroom I took a class at the local community college. It was cheap and well worth the time.

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Nov 12, 2020 21:29:25   #
MJG Loc: Bonita Springs, FL
 
This is my photo of Mila. She looks quite similar to your dog, doesn’t she? She doesn’t like having her photo taken.



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Feb 1, 2021 19:38:05   #
StanMac Loc: Tennessee
 
All I can say about it is that is one lovable looking pup - just look at those eyes! That expression is all that photo needs!

Stan

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Feb 11, 2021 14:35:25   #
Silverrails
 
CharleneT wrote:
This is my dog, Leah. I like the picture, but can't understand exactly why her rear-end is out of focus when her face is clear. Any suggestions, reasons, help, etc. appreciated. Thank you!


Smaller Aperture may solve your Focus issue, your difficulty is possibly & most likely D.O.F.= Depth Of Field.

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Mar 16, 2021 22:35:04   #
flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert
 
MJG wrote:
I like the head and front in focus too.


What is your subject? The doggie's face! Anything else is extraneous! It is a very good image as it is!

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May 22, 2021 07:59:04   #
infocus Loc: Australia
 
CharleneT wrote:
This is my dog, Leah. I like the picture, but can't understand exactly why her rear-end is out of focus when her face is clear. Any suggestions, reasons, help, etc. appreciated. Thank you!


In my humble opinion your shot is perfect.
The subjects face is in perfect focus - as it should be - the rear end is not important. You should be very happy with the shot. However in future if you want/need a greater depth of field use a smaller aperture (bigger number).
Personally I love the shot.

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May 25, 2021 13:52:39   #
flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert
 
Dik wrote:
Because the camera is focused on her face, as it should be.
Nice picture that way.
If you wanted to get her whole body sharp, you would have needed to shoot at a very high f/number, and focus near her shoulders.
That way, the thicker DOF, which extends about 1/3 in front and 2/3 behind the plane of focus, will be best utilized.



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Jun 12, 2021 12:26:27   #
craigart14
 
It's a nice pet portrait. As others have said, there's really no need to have the dog's rump in focus. Most of the time, we use a wide aperture to reduce the depth of field and throw the background out of focus in order to emphasize the subject. A smaller aperture could theoretically keep the dog in focus from head to tail. Using a short lens, such as a 50mm, will distort the proportions, which is why portrait photographers generally use something along the lines of an 85mm up to 105mm. Short lenses create big noses--or very long doggie snouts.

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Jun 12, 2021 20:03:47   #
IDguy Loc: Idaho
 
CharleneT wrote:
This is my dog, Leah. I like the picture, but can't understand exactly why her rear-end is out of focus when her face is clear. Any suggestions, reasons, help, etc. appreciated. Thank you!


You got the message on DOF. For this one I’d crop in from the left just to ensure you get the whole ear. That will move her to the left thirds line which is more pleasing than centered.


(Download)

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Jun 12, 2021 22:36:57   #
Orphoto Loc: Oregon
 
Ok folks. Likely enough advice to 5 year old question.

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