Tricky Depth of Field

[ewebber]

I was having trouble with my depth of field here. What i was going for was a focused shot of the shrubs and the "keep of the dunes" sign, but a more blurred background of the waves and the sunset. It seemed like an interesting subject but i couldnt get any closer to the sign because of the vegitation. I was hoping to get more contrast in focus between the foreground and the sunset, any suggestions? I dont have a more powerful lens yet, is that the only way to get what im looking for?

Taken with a Nikon D3000
Exposure: .006 sec; 1/160
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 38mm
Focal Length: 38.9mm
ISO: 100
Exposure Bias: 0EV
Flash: Auto, fired, Return Detected

Thanks everyone for the help!

[RichardTaylor]

Try shooting at a wider aperture.

You may want to selectively blur the background in post processing.

[Jenx54]

I think it looks nice, but a smaller aperture would have made the sign sharper and blured more of the background

[ewebber]

Thanks for the help!

[CaptainNH]

If you were at your widest aperture, then I'd suggest that you might try adding some additional lens blur to the background using photoshop / GIMP, etc.

[sk66]

To get a shallower DOF, you could get further away and use a longer focal length...all other settings being the same the DOF will rapidly drop with added focal length.

I'm assuming the 38mm means a kit zoom lens.

[wilswong]

PS should be the last thing on our mind whenever we go out to shoot.

So zoom in all the way as much as you can and keep the aperture at the smallest number (or biggest hole in the lens).

Below is what I took at 200mm at F5.6 (which is the lowest aperture for this lens)

[ewebber]

Yes, i am still pretty new to the DSLR game, and havent mastered the intro kit enough to merit going out and buying a bigger lens. Is there any way to take this type of shot (that is, focusing on an object that is a bit farther away physically and blurring the background) from far away without getting a bigger lens?

[ewebber]

Great! thanks so much, i appreciate the help!

[autofocus]

zoom as wide as your lens will go to maximize your lenses widest aperture..I'll assume F/3.5. That will give max blur on your background. Finish by cropping in PP to get the composition you wanted.

Vince