Depth of Field Too Shallow?

[law4mary]

Thank you, I will definitely have to remember to do that next time. Planning, patience and persistence appear to be the key! The 3 Ps of photography.

[sbunting108]

Personaly I like the DOF as it is!

[KaaPhotography]

I personally would have used a deeper depth of field to show more of the leaf colors in the background. But on the other hand, if your main subject was the fence, then possibly only slightly deeper, or crop out some of the background. It would all depend on what you intended for your main subject which I am assuming is the crooked fence

[NetG]

Originally Posted by fstopMike

I think it just depends...I would like to see a bit more depth of field because that would draw the eye a little deeper into the photograph. There's a lot of interest in the way the fence zig-zags that could be drawn out more. However, I also like the moss on the rail, so it kind of depends on what you're going for. The moss, to me, shows age as does the way the fence no longer stands straight, but leans forward and back. If it's the moss on the rail you're going for, a tighter crop would keep the eye there instead of wandering down the line of the fence. I like both takes on the photo.

I agree with freezeframe03. You're shooting digital. It costs little or nothing. Expand your horizons and take several shots with varying depths of field while you are there! Another thing I often do, when it looks like it might make some sense, is if I take the picture in the horizontal, then I might just rotate the camera and take it in vertical. Sometimes I find the altered perspective is a surprise that really makes the picture work.

I agree with this.

Because the DOF here really emphasizes the moss, I would crop in closer to make it stand out. I think it can become an exceptional shot once you do that!

I think this composition but with a larger depth of field would also be an exceptional shot. I just think the way it is now is simply "good." But that's where you learn! I don't tend to take multiple depth of field shots in one place, so I'm using this example as a lesson for myself, too.

[ohfour]

The moss looks fantastic, and a shallow DOF is a great way to keep the focus on it. However, I would really like to see a version with the moss right at the beginning of the fence in focus - maybe not literally at the bottom of the frame, but at the least have the first post sharply defined.

I'd try upping the DOF slightly, and bringing the focal point back to about where the first post is.