Nikon D5100 Experience Manual page 39

Nikon D5100 Experience
Aperture also controls the depth of field, which is the distance range that objects will be
rendered acceptably sharp. A deep depth of field means that everything from a few feet in front
of you to very, very far away is all in focus. This is often desirable in photos of landscapes. A
shallow depth of field is when perhaps just a few feet or even just inches of the scene are in
focus, for example a portrait or photo where the subject is in focus but the background is blurry
(see Figure 25). In portraits with very dramatic shallow depth of field, sometimes the subject's
eyes and nose are in focus but their ears, hair, and everything beyond is blurry.
Figure 25 – Flower – A "wide" or "large" aperture creates shallow depth of field which
emphasizes the subject and makes the background appear out of focus. Shutter speed 1/400,
aperture f/4.5, ISO 100
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