(Warning: this article contains nudity)
Depth can be a problem when capturing a new scene or topic. Usually, photographers try everything they can to turn a two-dimensional print or digital image into something more realistic.
Going against this can help to create an interesting and powerful effect. By removing or reducing the depth in your scene, you can change the feel of the shot. Let's look at a few ways we can make our images stand out from the crowd.
What is Depth of Field?
Put simply, the depth of field is how much of your scene is in focus, between the closest and farthest elements. We can change the depth of field and how much our scene is in focus by altering the aperture and changing the distance you are from the elements in the shot. A higher f/stop (or narrower aperture) such as f/16 places more of your scene in focus.
If a lower f/stop (or wider aperture) is used, then either the foreground of the background will fall out of focus, separating them. This separation gives the viewer an impression of a greater distance between the elements, creating an idea of depth.
Why is Depth of Field Important In Photography?
Depth of field is what separates a two-dimensional world from a three-dimensional one. Photography deals with both; a 3D scene is captured, and then viewed in a 2D manner (either on a computer screen or from a print).
Depth in your scene is created by what techniques you use and how you incorporate them when shooting a scene. Texture, perspective, highlights and shadows, contrast, motion and the objects you show or hide all help to add depth. Your choice in-camera sensor size and lens type also affect the depth in your photography.
By adding a sense of depth through different techniques, you create an image that is closer to reality. In turn, the scene speaks more to the viewers, as they immerse themselves into the scene more.
So Why Reduce Depth of Field in Photography?
Reducing depth in your photography seems a little strange, as we are told that depth is important in making a scene more realistic. When a print or 2D image doesn’t have a sense of depth perception, they can seem out of place.
Reducing depth creates a slightly unusual feeling or mood, and it works for most scenes. Our eyes are used to seeing shadows, for example, separate the objects in our view. When looking at a scene with reduced depth, our view jumps to the parts of the image that seem a little ‘off’.
Rules are made to be broken, and depth perception is no different. It’s a way to make your image stand out, or propose a different idea or perspective to show an over photographed scene in a new way.
How To Reduce Depth of Field in Your Photography
Photograph The Subject Straight-On
By shooting your subject straight-on, you remove all depth. After all, you can only see one perspective of an object at any one time. You won’t see the shadows, or parts of the building, for example, which gives it a perception of depth.
Take the image below as an example. The green parts of the build jut out towards us, yet it isn’t obvious due to the head-on perspective of the shot. The position of the sun doesn’t leave any shadows, hinting at its straight-on position.
Use an Open Aperture
By using an aperture wide enough, you can place your entire subject in focus. This is a helpful technique in reducing the depth in your image. This is a helpful technique in reducing the depth in your image, as you get the feeling the objects are close to each other. This works best when the background is also close and within the same focus.
Take this image for reference. With a still-life image such as this, the lemons were all captured in focus. It would have been easy for the photographer to use a narrow (or small f/stop) to create a differential focus and more attention on the space between the foreground and background. By allowing the lemons to sit on a similar focal plane removes the idea of depth.
Grab a High Perspective
Your perspective of a scene plays a major part in keeping or reducing the depth in the scene. Shooting downwards diagonally from a high angle will give the impression of poor depth perception. This will depend on the background or surface around your subject.
Take this image for example. The floor seems strange and juxta positioned to the subject. There is a lack of depth as there is only one point of reference that connects the subject and the location; Without it, you have no reference point telling you how far away is the background.
Blur the Background
Backgrounds are very important in all areas of photography. They can show specific locations that reinforce a story or create the mood and tone of the scene. The photographer chooses how much to include in each scene they capture.
By blurring the background, you remove its reference, and therefore any scale. Without a scale, it's difficult to gauge a distance between the background and the subject. Remove any shadows falling on it, as that would reinforce depth perception.
by Frank Oßwald
Use a Telephoto Lens
A telephoto lens is a tool for capturing subjects and scenes from far distances. While using these, you'll face 'compression' - a feeling that backgrounds appear closer to the foregrounds than they actually are.
A telephoto lens used alongside the compositional technique of filling the frame can create dramatic images with less importance on depth. By forcing the background to feel closer, you reduce the depth between them. A little touch of surreal creates images that make people think.
by Vasile Gori
Fill The Frame
Removing or reducing depth can make a scene feel surreal. There are a few techniques and tips to achieve it, one being the compositional technique of 'filling the frame'.
By filling the frame with one subject, you remove its scale. There is nothing else in the scene to compare it against, restricting our knowledge of how big or small something is. Without a sense of scale, the idea of depth is lost as the mind isn't sure how close the subject is to the camera.
Not Showing Any Ground
As viewers, reference points are the first thing we subconsciously look for in photographic images and scenes. These points help us understand the scene though the size, distance, perspective of the shot. We quickly scan it for real objects that we can connect with.
By removing or playing around with these reference points, we can help to change certain ideas of the image. In the below image, you can't see the ground, which removes a reference to distance and a three-dimensional world. The birds and clouds look as if flying directly above the woman, leaving a two-dimensional scene.
Don’t Show the Ends of Objects
Reducing the amount of depth in your scene can come down to one simple technique; placing every element on an equal distance from the camera. This isn't always possible physically, which is why your perspective, angle and framing skills are important.
By not showing the ends (or starts) of objects, there is little to no reference to their distance. Cropping off where they fit into the ground in relation to each other stops certainty for the viewer, forcing them to think about it.
Focus on The Shadows
Shadows are very important in photography as they typically help in adding depth to any given scene. They can, of course, be used to remove or reduce depth when used in a correct manner.
Take the below image, for example, the shadows on the background come from the yellow pipes. However, they seem a little surreal and don't fit the same profile as the pipes. The shadows take away the idea of depth, as they can't possibly be the shadows of the pipes.
No Contrast
A lack of contrast is yet another technique to help remove or reduce depth in a scene. When our eyes look at a scene, the contrast becomes an important element in separating the background from the subject.
Without a clear separation between the elements, the idea of depth perception is lost. The viewer can not discern between the furthest and closest parts of the scene. It results in the subjects looking as if on the same, two-dimensional plane.
Conclusion
Depth perception is important when photographing a scene, as you keep the realism that comes from it. Landscape, street, and architecture photography sometimes require a scene to look as close to reality as much as possible.
However, removing it creates interesting images. They look strange and surreal, but the benefit comes from the viewers trying to make sense of the images they see. As the photographer sees the scene differently, and unexpected images is born. Thankfully, some genres of photography border on the surreal and fantasy, where these techniques also work wonders.