essential skills: digital photography in available light
Selective and overall focus
By selecting the quantity of information within the image to be sharp the photographer is said to
be using ‘selective focus’. This is a powerful tool to control communication. The photographer is
telling the viewer what is important and what is less important.
When the aperture is reduced (‘stopped down’) suffi ciently, and the other contributory factors to
great depth of fi eld are favourable, it is possible to produce an image where the content of the
entire frame is sharp. This effect is described as ‘overall focus’. Overall focus is often diffi cult to
achieve. Unless the level of illumination is bright, or a tripod is available, the photographer runs
the risk of ‘camera shake’. Small apertures, such as f16 or f22, often require the use of a very
slow shutter speed.
Maximizing depth of fi eld
The photographer can maximize the depth of fi eld and ensure overall focus by focusing
approximately one third of the way into the subject. The infi nity symbol should be placed on the
appropriate mark using the depth of fi eld scale on the lens.
ACTIVITY 2
Create an image using selective focus to control the communication.
Discuss the visual communication of the image.Mark Galer