17 Excellent Examples of Narrow Depth of Field

By Mike Panic on 15 Apr 2010 in Cool Photos, Featured[ 19 Comments ]

When I first started to take photography seriously over 10 years ago, mastering depth of field was high on my priority list. Shooting with a narrow depth of field involves setting your camera lens to the widest possible setting and then focusing on one particular part of the frame. The stark contrast between in and out of focus portions of the frame concentrating around the subject and relative distance to other things in the frame creates a wonderful, visually appealing, texture enriched image. In my mind, being able to properly produce a shot with the right depth of field makes the difference between a snapshot and a photograph. Here’s 17 excellent examples of narrow depth of field to give you some inspiration.

Photo by Dey

Photo by Lewis Walsh

Photo by DonkerDink

Photo by dustin_j_williams

Photo by Jez Page

Photo by gabi_menashe

Photo by conorwithonen

Photo by Will Montague

Photo by Mukumbura

Photo by Natalia Romay

Photo by Express Monorail (taking a break)

Photo by A Moon Man

Photo by [phil h]

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19 Comments

swissjourno:

Here’s a good example I think (even better when seen up close):

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fLs5wWzYzxU/S1gEx_JDtfI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/6llBO_M8MWY/s1600-h/kern_thomas.jpg

April 15, 2010 at 11:34 pmReply
- LightStalking:
  
  Nice one!
  
  April 16, 2010 at 3:23 pmReply
Tony V:

Those are some really nice photos depth of field. Nice work!

April 16, 2010 at 5:17 amReply
- LightStalking:
  
  Glad you enjoyed the collection, Tony. :)
  
  April 16, 2010 at 3:23 pmReply
Tania Calderón:

I too have been playing w/ this narrow depth. I recently bought a new canon 50mm and am in LOVE.
Thanks for sharing!

Tania

April 16, 2010 at 6:34 amReply
- LightStalking:
  
  The 50mm is such a popular lens. I love my 50mm for my nikon.
  
  April 16, 2010 at 3:22 pmReply
Jay McIntyre:

Swissjourno, That is a wonderful shot!! These are some great examples narrow DOF

April 16, 2010 at 6:35 amReply
+1 Lewis Walsh:

Wow! Thank you so much for using my image as an example, I’m genuinely flattered.

April 16, 2010 at 12:23 pmReply
- LightStalking:
  
  Keep up the great work, Lewis!
  
  April 16, 2010 at 3:19 pmReply
Greg Baker:

Great selection of photos! Is it being pedantic to say it should be “shallow” depth of field rather than narrow? Possible, maybe I don’t quite understand the concept! :)

G

April 17, 2010 at 11:05 amReply
Mike Panic:

Greg – good point, but in this case, it kind of depends on where you grew up and who / how you learned to shoot from, as shallow and narrow essentially mean the same thing. When I started to shoot, I liked the results I got from slide film, but people older then me often referred to it as “chrome” or “transparency” film. I’ll watch how I use terms for the future articles.

Also – I think EVERYONE should own a 50mm f/1.8 lens regardless of what camera outfit you have. It’s cheap and produces great photos across the board!

April 20, 2010 at 4:45 amReply
+2 Aimee Greeblemonkey:

These are fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

April 20, 2010 at 7:50 pmReply
- LightStalking:
  
  Anytime! :)
  
  April 21, 2010 at 3:33 pmReply
Anthony:

Greg – good point, but in this case, it kind of depends on where you grew up and who / how you learned to shoot from, as shallow and narrow essentially mean the same thing. When I started to shoot, I liked the results I got from slide film, but people older then me often referred to it as “chrome” or “transparency” film. I’ll watch how I use terms for the future articles.

Also – I think EVERYONE should own a 50mm f/1.8 lens regardless of what camera outfit you have. It’s cheap and produces great photos across the board!

April 24, 2010 at 1:44 pmReply
+1 Adam:

Anytime! :)

April 24, 2010 at 7:21 pmReply
Nick:

The 50mm is such a popular lens. I love my 50mm for my nikon.

April 25, 2010 at 1:48 pmReply
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May 13, 2010 at 12:27 amReply
chalo84:

There is an album called “The world in f1.8″ .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chalo84/sets/72157624025504700/

I hope you enjoy it

May 14, 2010 at 2:07 amReply
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