Project: Focus - at a set aperture

This exercise is one which I revisited several times - I just was not happy with the results truly illustrating what I wanted. In the end I settled for this set - the beach huts at West Mersea in Essex. I just loved the late afternoon light as the sun settled below the horizon at the end of January this year.

I felt this set best illustrated the effects of focusing at different points at the widest aperture. Here I enhanced the effect by using the telephoto end of my 24-105 zoom.

Near Focus 105mm, f4

This, first frame in the sequence, probably illustrates the effect most graphically with the focal point set close to the camera, very little is in focus with the majority of the subject out of focus.

Mid focus 105mm f4

In the "mid-focus" shot, both the foreground and the background are out of focus. The central part of the photograph is now sharply defined.

Far focus 105mm f4

Here I have focused on the beach huts beyond the central point, throwing those in the foreground and in the central area out of focus, though there is a gradual increasing sharpness of the subject as you go through the central are towards the background.

Of the three photographs in the sequence, my preferred is the last one with the sharp focus in the background. This makes the background really stand out and becomes the centre of attention. The eye is led into the photograph and depthe is given as a consequence. I feel, though, that this is going to be dependent on the subject matter and what is hoped to be achieved with the composition.