depth of field

Do you see where the focus point is on this picture below? It’s on her eyes. And it’s pretty sharp…not crystal clear…because I was using my 85mm 1.2 lens. I LOVE my 85mm lens. It’s probably my favorite lens … but it’s not as fast as my other lenses. So if a child moves on me I can’t always capture them super sharp. Anyways, that’s a side note. My point is to show you the focus point and the depth of field in this photo. The focus point is on her eyes. Now think of geometry… like math in high school… Do you remember “planes” in geometry? The planes in space that had to do with depth of field? Well, this little girl’s eyes and the part of the fence that she is holding onto are on the same plane. They are both the same distance away from me and my lens. Because they are on the same plane they are both in focus. My aperture is set at F 2.8 and I’m shooting with my 85mm lens which means that I will get some lovely blurriness (bokeh) behind that focus point as well as in front of that focus point. All of the things that are not on the same plane as my focus point will not be sharp and in focus. See the fence in front of her? And the fence behind her as well? Make sense? A little bit?  If not, keep reading and practicing. It’ll sink in. :)

My manual settings on the image below:

ISO – 200
aperture – F 2.8
shutter speed – 1/250 second
lens – 85mm 1.2