Okuzeka
Photography vocabulary · Lenses & Focus

Depth of field

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˌdepθ əv ˈfiːld/nounCore term

In photography, depth of field means: The area in front of and behind the point of focus that still looks acceptably sharp. It can be shallow, with a blurry background, or deep, with almost everything sharp.

In Turkish: alan derinliği, netlik derinliği

How it is used

Often shortened to DOF. It gets shallower with a wider aperture, a longer focal length or a closer subject. Portrait photographers usually want a shallow depth of field; landscape photographers usually want it deep.

Example sentences

  1. At f/1.4 the depth of field is so thin that only her eyes are sharp.

  2. For product shots we need more depth of field, so let's stop down to f/11.

Common collocations

  • shallow depth of field
  • deep depth of field
  • increase the depth of field
  • depth of field preview
  • apertureThe adjustable opening inside a lens that lets light through. A wider opening lets in more light and gives a shallower depth of field.
  • focusThe point or area of a photo that is sharp. Something is in focus when it looks sharp and out of focus when it looks blurred.
  • bokehThe look and quality of the out-of-focus areas in a photo, especially a soft background and round, blurry points of light.
  • focal lengthA lens measurement in millimeters, such as 24 mm or 200 mm, that tells you how wide or how magnified the view will be.
  • f-stopA number such as f/2.8 or f/11 that describes the size of the lens opening. It is the focal length divided by the opening's diameter, so a smaller number means a wider opening.

More terms: Lenses & Focus

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: