Auto Focus- Will adjust the cameras lens to obtain a focus in the lens. For general use.
Manual Focus- Is the process of adjusting the depth of field of the camera lens to bring the image into focus without relying on the auto focus. Used for finer details.
Focal Length
Focal Length- Is the optical distance (measured in MM) from the centre of a lensand it’s focus. Point of convergence of your lens and the sensor or film recording the image.
Aperture
Aperture-Aperture is how wide the hole in the back of the lens is, and it controls how much light is let in. It is measured in f-stops and the lower the number, the more light is let in
Depth of Field-DOF is what’s in focus in front of or behind the main subject of the photo. Lower aperture (f2.8-f4) gives a shallow DOF (minimal focus) , higher aperture (f16-f22) gives a greater DOF (broader focus)
In picture 1 there is a shallow depth of field, which has an aperture of 8, a shutter speed of 1/60 for good exposure and an ISO setting of 1600.
In picture 2, there is a very small depth of field, which has an aperture of 2.8 which means the opening on the camera lens is big. The shutter speed is 1/60 for good exposure and so you can focus on the plane and the ISO setting is at 200.
In picture 3, there is a very wide depth of field, which has an aperture of 22 which means the lens has a tiny hole in it where no light can get through. The shutter speed is 1/1 for good exposure and the ISO setting is at 100.
Artist Research
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Ralph Eugene Meatyard made his living as an optician, born in 1925 and died in 1976. Meatyard was born in Normal, which is in Illinois. He was a member on the Lexington Camera club and pursued his passion for photography outside the mainstream. He experimented with many strategies such as multiple exposures, motion blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. Two of his series included depth of field and focus.
Meatyard used a wide aperture which has a small F stop and this also has a small depth of field. which means his photos have a background with a soft focus and the foreground has a sharp focus.
Photos that I used that are inspired by his work.