Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 494 Journalism: Publishing Across Media Depth of Field Depth of Field Which do you fi nd to be more emotionally powerful—Figure 16.10a or 16.10b? If you like b, your attention may have been drawn to the face of the main subject because the photographer used a shallow depth of fi eld. Focusing sharply on the face leaves the background, with all of its distractions, blurry. This technique works well in portraits and helps to eliminate irrelevant elements in the foreground or background. 1. Look around the space you are currently in, and think like a photographer. Where do you see lines you could use as leading lines? What could you use to frame a shot? Where are the patterns or symmetry within your space? 2. Going Deeper. Choose an object small enough to easily move and take a series of photos of the object to demonstrate your understanding of each of the concepts in the composition section, above. Your Turn 1 L Working with Photos: Editing Working with Photos: Editing While we strive for crisp, perfectly framed shots, most photos benefi t from editing. (See Chapter 4 to learn about ethical concerns involved with editing photos.) Whenever possible, photographers should edit their own photos so they can keep them true to what they witnessed at the scene. The following tools and principles should be considered as you edit your photos. Cropping Cropping All but the most exceptional photos become more powerful through cropping. Cropping allows you to adjust the borders so your center of Figure 16.10 The eye tends to wander from the subject to the background when a greater depth of field is used (a). A shallow depth of field helps focus on the subject and blurs the background (b). When might a shallow depth of field be used to create a strong photograph? A greater depth of field? a b