Bokeh Vs DOF — The Difference Between The Two
Bokeh and depth of field, are both techniques that help photographers in creating beautiful photographs. In the approach of photographing at lower f-numbers, the distinction between depth of field and bokeh vanishes and hobbyists and enthusiasts often end up using the terms bokeh and DOF interchangeably. To photograph the aesthetics of the subject and the background, one should be clear about what DOF and bokeh stand for. To effectively use the two techniques, let’s have a quick view of the depth of field, bokeh, and the differences between the two.
What Is Depth Of Field
The depth of field refers to the area of sharp focus in a photograph. When taking a photograph, sometimes it may be desirable to have the entire image sharp, and at other times you may be interested in focusing on only a small portion of the scene.
A high depth of field is the scenario where everything in the plane of focus is in sharp focus. The shallow depth of field on the other hand is the technique of focusing only a small portion of the plane of focus resulting in an effectively focused subject amidst defocused background and foreground elements. The shallow depth of field helps in profoundly separating the subject by beautifully blurring the background clutter.
What Is Bokeh
Bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of the image. Bokeh is the terminology used for defining the quality of blur achieved at a shallow depth of field. It refers to the quality of blurred imagery complemented by circular discs of light rendered by out-of-focus points of light.
Un Banco Del Parque Haciendo Bokeh!
The bokeh thus refers to the circular discs formed as the result of blurring the background. The pronounced bokeh effect is created when the camera is tuned for shallow depth of field. The effective brightness in the background of the subject renders beautiful imagery to the out-of-focus areas, thus, resulting in smooth, soft circular discs in the background.
Keeping that in mind head over to a photography lesson on DSLR and Apertures and let’s make rock’n’roll history. Read More Make sure you have a manual camera with you before you do. Cell phones cannot do this.
