A Short Guide To Photography - Minolta Dimage Dimage Xi Instruction Manual

A short guide to photography

Photography can be a rewarding pursuit. This guide is an introduction to some basic photographic
principles.
The zoom lens does not only affect how large the subject is in the picture, but it also influences the
depth of field and perspective. Depth of field is the area between the closest object in focus and the
furthest object in focus. As the lens zooms in (telephoto position) to the subject, the depth of field
becomes shallower, separating the subject from the background. Many portraits are taken with tele-
photo lenses. Zooming the lens out to the wide-angle position makes both the foreground and back-
ground appear sharper. Usually landscape photographs take advantage of the large depth of field of
wide-angle lenses.
Wide-angle lenses also create a strong per-
spective which gives a sense of depth in the
image. Telephoto lenses compress the
space between the subject and background
and create a weak perspective.
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