P3: Depth of Field

Title: Alligator Rock

Tags: Alligator Rock, creek, trees

Reflection: I selected this photograph for Project 3. It meets the requirements for this assignment in that it demonstrates the concept of depth of field. For this photo, I wanted the trees in the background and the water in the foreground to be in focus. I wanted to incorporate a greater depth of field in order to capture the scene where Alligator Rock can be found. I felt like this would draw the viewer’s eyes deeper into the photograph and would allow him/her to see what an awesome place this is.

I found this assignment to be of value because it helped me to learn another concept about photography: selecting the appropriate depth of field. Photographers must adjust their depth of field to maximize the focus of their photo. I honestly would not change anything if retaking this shot. I feel that I effectively used the rule of thirds to determine the placement of my focus (Alligator Rock). I decided not to crop the original as I did not want to remove too much of the foreground and background because they were part of the great depth of field I desired. In the edited version above, I adjusted the color somewhat to enhance the green of the trees. Otherwise, this would not have been a very colorful photo.

For my class picture file, I would incorporate photos with varied depths of field. Again, the depth of field would be determined by considering the focus for the photo. While I could use such pictures for many things, one thing that comes to mind is teaching basic story elements to my kindergarten students. I would take photographs with greater depths of field to use to illustrate the element of setting. The students would be able to focus on many things in the picture and to describe the setting in rich detail. For pictures to demonstrate the element of character I would probably select photos with narrower depths of field. I would want my students to focus on the character and not the setting around the character.