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Fundamentals

Depth of Field & Lens Choice

Why a portrait lens blurs backgrounds and a landscape lens keeps everything sharp.

What controls sharpness depth

Depth of field — how much of the scene is in focus — is controlled mainly by aperture, focal length, and subject distance. A wide aperture (small f-number), a longer lens, and a closer subject all shrink the sharp zone.

Choosing for the subject

Portraits often want a shallow depth of field to separate a person from a busy background. Landscapes usually want everything sharp from foreground to horizon, which means a smaller aperture like f/11.

Now practice it

In the 2D Studio, switch between 'Portrait separation' and 'Everything sharp' and watch how the background reacts.

Open the studio →

Practice challenges

  • Take a photo with a shallow depth of field using only the studio's aperture control. Try it →
  • Keep a subject sharp while blurring everything in front of and behind it. Try it →
  • Get everything in a scene sharp, foreground to background, using a small aperture. Try it →

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