In the last lesson you learned what controls depth of field. Now comes the creative question: how much of your photo should be sharp? Shallow depth of field isolates a subject and simplifies a busy scene. Deep depth of field shows everything and tells the viewer about the place. Neither is better; each says something different. This lesson helps you choose, and shows you how to get the most sharpness when you need everything in focus.
Two creative choices
As explained in depth of field, shallow depth of field means a thin sharp zone, and deep depth of field means a large one. Here is what each one does to a photo:
| Shallow depth of field | Deep depth of field | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Isolates the subject; hides the background | Shows the subject in its surroundings |
| Feeling | Intimate, focused, dreamy | Informative, detailed, grounded |
| Common uses | Portraits, food, details, flowers, products with style | Landscapes, architecture, groups, interiors, documentary |
| Typical settings | Wide aperture, close focus, background far away | Narrower aperture, further focus, wider lens |
When to choose shallow depth of field
Choose a shallow depth of field when the background tells the viewer nothing useful, or actively distracts. A messy room, a crowd of strangers or a busy street disappears into soft shapes, leaving only your subject. It also creates a feeling of closeness, as if the viewer is right there with the subject.
But shallow depth of field has risks. At very wide apertures and close distances, the sharp zone may be thinner than a face. One eye can be sharp while the other is soft, or the nose sharp and the eyes not. Focus precisely, as you learned in selecting focus points.
What is bokeh?
Bokeh (pronounced roughly "boh-keh", from a Japanese word for blur) describes the look and quality of the out-of-focus areas in a photo. Two photos can have the same amount of blur, but one looks smooth and creamy while the other looks busy or nervous. That difference is bokeh.
Small points of light in the background, such as street lights or sunlight through leaves, turn into soft discs. Their shape often follows the shape of the lens's aperture opening, so lenses with more, rounded aperture blades usually give rounder discs. Bokeh depends mainly on the lens design, so you will learn more about it in the lens course, starting with how camera lenses work.
When to choose deep depth of field
Choose deep depth of field when the place matters as much as the subject: a mountain range, a city street, a room interior, or a group of people at different distances. Here, softness anywhere usually looks like a mistake.
Remember the trade-offs from the exposure triangle: a narrower aperture lets in less light, so you may need a slower shutter speed, a tripod or a higher ISO. And very small apertures, like f/22, can soften the whole image slightly because of diffraction, as mentioned in aperture. That is why many landscape photographers work around f/8 to f/11 rather than at the smallest setting.
Keeping a landscape sharp from front to back
Where you focus matters as much as the aperture. If you focus on the far mountains, the near flowers may be soft. If you focus on the near flowers, the mountains may be soft. The goal is to place the sharp zone so it covers both.
- Choose a moderate aperture, often f/8 to f/11.
- Focus some way into the scene, not on the very nearest object and not on the far horizon.
- Check near and far by magnifying both in playback.
- If one end is soft, adjust the focus point slightly toward it, or close the aperture a little more.
Hyperfocal distance
For any combination of lens, aperture and camera, there is a special focus distance called the hyperfocal distance. If you focus there, everything from half that distance to the far horizon is acceptably sharp. It gives the deepest possible depth of field for those settings.
The exact distance depends on focal length, aperture and sensor size, so photographers usually look it up with a depth of field calculator app or chart rather than guessing. You may hear "focus one-third into the scene" as a shortcut; it is a rough approximation, useful in a hurry, but not exact.
When depth of field is not enough
Sometimes no single aperture can make everything sharp, especially very close to a subject, as in macro photography. Photographers then use focus stacking: they take several photos focused at different distances and combine the sharp parts in software. You will learn this in focus stacking.
Common mistakes
- Using f/1.4 for everything: a photo with only one eyelash sharp is not always a better photo.
- Focusing on the horizon in landscapes: the foreground often ends up soft.
- Using f/22 by default for landscapes: diffraction can soften the image; f/8–f/11 is often enough.
- Not checking both ends: magnify the nearest and farthest important parts before leaving the scene.
How professionals decide
Professionals choose depth of field from the story they want to tell. Does the background add meaning, or noise? A documentary photographer often keeps the surroundings visible because they explain the situation. A portrait photographer often softens them so the face dominates. Landscape photographers plan their focus point carefully and check the corners. The setting follows the story, never the other way round.
Practical examples
A coffee cup in a busy cafe
- Situation
- You want to photograph your coffee, but tables and people fill the background.
- What to do
- You use f/2, get close to the cup and focus on the foam pattern.
- Why it works
- Shallow depth of field turns the busy cafe into soft colors and light.
- Result
- A sharp, inviting coffee with a warm, blurred cafe behind it.
Wildflowers and a mountain
- Situation
- You want the flowers near you and the distant mountain both sharp.
- What to do
- You use f/11 on a tripod and focus on a point a few metres into the scene, then check both ends.
- Why it works
- A moderate aperture and a focus point inside the scene spread the sharp zone over near and far.
- Result
- Sharp flowers leading the eye to a sharp mountain.
Key points
- Shallow depth of field isolates a subject; deep depth of field shows the setting.
- Choose based on whether the background adds meaning or distraction.
- Bokeh is the quality of out-of-focus areas, shaped mostly by the lens.
- For landscapes, use around f/8–f/11 and focus some way into the scene, then check near and far.
- Hyperfocal focusing gives maximum depth of field; use a calculator for exact distances.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use shallow depth of field?
What is bokeh?
How do I get everything sharp in a landscape?
What is hyperfocal distance?
Conclusion
Shallow depth of field isolates and simplifies; deep depth of field informs and grounds. Choose the one that fits your story, and use careful focusing, moderate apertures and hyperfocal distance when you need sharpness from front to back. Next, you will move from depth to time: freezing and blurring motion.
Finished reading? Track your progress through Focus and depth of field.