MPC #127: Depth of Field (9/12 - 9/29)

Well, I'm obeying the happy feeling requirement in the rules.

The topic of this MPC is depth of field. I guess what I'm looking for is photos that use depth of field as a compositional element. I realize this more difficult if you're using a point & shoot, but you can still do it. Some quick examples:

Fuzz's shot from the last mpc:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/...a1b4aedc_c.jpgThe green woods by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

One of my own crappy shots, the subject isn't perfectly focused but it still illustrates the point:
Attachment 158144

Please have your submissions in by 10:00 PM MDT on the 29th.



RULES:
1. Photos must be taken within the time period of the contest.
2. You may submit 3 photos during the competition.
3. The contest moderator will choose 5 photos to be voted on.
4. The winner will get a happy feeling in his/her pants. (That is a rule by the way, not an option.)
5. In the event of a tie, the contest moderator will have the deciding vote.
6. Winner will be the contest starter/moderator for the next comp.
7. The winner has 3 days to start a new contest or 2nd place becomes the new winner.

MPC #126 The Trail
MPC #125 Renewal
MPC #124 Sky
MPC #123 Blue-Jeans
MPC #122 Las Montanas / Vertical Relief
MPC #121 Shopping Cart
MPC #120 Journey
MPC#119 Out of Your Comfort Zone
MPC#119 Out of Your Comfort Zone
MPC#118 Water
MPC#117 Opposites
MPC#116 Resolutions
MPC#115 Celebration
MPC#114 Santa
MPC#113 Leading Lines part Deux
MPC#112 Story
MPC#111 Sunstars
MPC#110 Noise
MPC#109 Structure
MPC#108 Vast
MPC#107 Reflections
MPC#106 Monochrome
MPC#104 Your Beach
MPC#103 Relationship
MPC#102 Decay
MPC#101 Juxtaposition
MPC#100 Tilt-Shift
MPC#99 Zoom
MPC#98 Signs
MPC#97 Artificial Light
MPC#96 Portrait, as pertains to orientation
MPC#95 MACRO
MPC#94 Framed
MPC#93 October
MPC#92 White Line
MPC#91 Harvest
MPC#90 Where you live
MPC#89 Geological
MPC#88 Big Machinery
MPC#87 Hot/Heat
MPC#86 Stress Relief
MPC#85 Dirty
MPC#84 Transportation
MPC#83 Of Yourself, By Yourself, In Context
MPC#82 Long Exposure: Urban Edition
MPC#81 Old School
MPC#80 Energy
MPC#79 Need
MPC#78 Weather
MPC#77 Action Sports
MPC#76 Stress
MPC#75 Anticipation
MPC#74 Foliage
MPC#73 Unreal
MPC#72 Speed
MPC#70 Old Technology
MPC#69 Plan B
MPC#68 Atmosphere POLL
MPC#67 Plants
MPC#66 Patterns
MPC#65 Weathered
MPC#64 WINNING
MPC#63 The End
MPC#62 Food
MPC#61 Seeing Double
MPC#60 Normal
MPC#59 Tranquility
MPC#58 Silhouette
MPC#57 Waiting
MPC#56 Night
MPC#55 Fire
MPC#54 Wheels
MPC#53 Small Sensors
MPC#52 Blur
MPC#51 Found Faces
MPC#50 Portraits
MPC#49 Panoramic
MPC#48 Light & Shadow
MPC#47 Timing
MPC#46 Coffee & Beer
MPC#45 Community
MPC#44 Potential
MPC#43 Solitude
MPC#42 Holidays
MPC#41 Ominous
MPC#40 Imbalance
MPC#39 Transition
MPC#38 Unsightly
MPC#37 Self Portrait
MPC#36 Music
MPC#35 Summer
MPC#34 Passion
MPC#33 Home
MPC#32 Electricity
MPC#31 Bridges
MPC#30 Old & New
MPC#29 BW
MPC#28 Winter
MPC#27 HDR
MPC#26 Shadows
MPC#25 Circles
MPC#24 Bars
MPC#23 People
MPC#22 Architecture
MPC#21 Wild Beasts
MPC#20 Water
MPC#19 Bulb
MPC#18 Celebration
MPC#17 Sunrise & Sunset
MPC#16 Out of Place
MPC#15 Altered
MPC#14 Angles
MPC#13 Pain & Suffering
MPC#12 Unusual Perspective
MPC#11 Depth
MPC#10 Contrast
MPC#9 Festive
MPC#8 Reflection
MPC#7 Leading Lines
MPC#6 Minimal
MPC#5 Abandoned
MPC#4 Perspective
MPC#3 Airborne
MPC#2 Straylight
MPC#1 Motion

I don't think this is a great shot, but I'll throw it up because it does fit the category. I used a waterproof camera and partially submerged it in the lake so part of the lens was above the water and part of it was below. The result is somewhat interesting, but the fact I need to describe the technique I used tells me it wasn't entirely successful!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/...0c342413_c.jpgHarmony Lake by kirknelson, on Flickr

Was out in a farm yesterday just shooting and noticed a lot of bees... fortunately they didn't notice me:

https://www.tetongravity.com/images/...266__forum.jpg

BD... How did you post that? Because I can't see it on my phone and need to yell at the forum admins again.

I posted it via the new TGR upload... just clicked the picture icon above.

Great pic but I cannot see it on my phone either. I have just been using img url /img [ ] [ ] manually.

Very cool shots starting to filter in from AD and BD.
Here are a couple contributions. However, as N VT comes into peak foliage over the next couple weeks I reserve the right to replace one ;)

Dew Web
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/...cfe25526_c.jpg

Who's Next?
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/...f6f8ee98_c.jpg

NEK... just a suggestion, I would reduce the size a tad. For me personally, if I have to scroll a pic to see the whole thing, I don't "get it" as a composition. And I'm on a 1920x1200, 24" display here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by systemoverblow'd

NEK... just a suggestion, I would reduce the size a tad. For me personally, if I have to scroll a pic to see the whole thing, I don't "get it" as a composition. And I'm on a 1920x1200, 24" display here.

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Done, thanks for the heads up.

From The Notch Rd, Sandwich NH.
1.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l...916_175714.jpg

2.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...cc9d7e32dc34f8

The topic is a bit vague as you can have a shallow depth of field or a large depth of field. I think you were going for the shallow end?

1
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/...713abd2c_c.jpgKauai Milky Way1-2 by jrmorris-mt, on Flickr

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mtcham

Kauai Milky Way1-8729 by jrmorris-mt, on Flickr

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Whoah, that is awesome! One suggestion -- perhaps adjust the white balance to make the sky a more natural blueish grey.

Thanks Fuzz-made a re-edit.

First thought when I saw this topic was I should go out into a field
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3874/...637ae049_c.jpg

Second thought was I have a bunch of baby toys lying around and they make an easy subject
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3855/...a0d1e6ce_c.jpg

Haven't gotten a chance to really get out for this one, and might replace this..... but always enjoy watching our Brittany Spaniel go nuts when there are squirrels in the front yard. She will sit there for hours watching them

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2941/...7a56a388_b.jpgabbeysquirrel by cbkoontz, on Flickr

^^^ Love that shot. There's just enough detail in your dog's silhouette so that you know what it is.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/...ea0890b7_b.jpg
Classic by kirknelson, on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/...4512c34b_b.jpg

I keep wanting the thread to be fall days afield.

Ski edges grind away

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...psbc6f48b8.jpg


http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps77b322b2.jpg

1:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...4/RQP_4370.JPG

Wow, I came here to bump this thread and drum up some interest. I guess I don't need to. Gonna be some tough choices.

I'm glad to see some discussion as well. Some of the recent MPCs have been quiet. I looked through some old MPCs and there was some... spirited... conversation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mtcham

The topic is a bit vague as you can have a shallow depth of field or a large depth of field. I think you were going for the shallow end?

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Yeah, it's a little open ended. The only thing I'm looking for is that there be elements or portion of the image that are both in focus and elements that are out of focus. At the very least, I want to see some blur somewhere but ideally, it's incorporated into or used to enhance the composition.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by butterscotch

I'm glad to see some discussion as well. Some of the recent MPCs have been quiet. I looked through some old MPCs and there was some... spirited... conversation.

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I think a lot of the discussion decreased in the MPC submission threads because there was a general feeling that it could influence inclusion of one picture over another in the top 5.

Photojong with a point and shoot checking in. I despise graffiti but this example did make for an interesting composition. Taken on my drive home from work today:

https://www.tetongravity.com/images/...all__forum.jpg

#1
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2944/...b2c2cf4b_c.jpg

#2
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3929/...0ddd0e60_c.jpg

One more:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3891/...764d59c1_c.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by From_the_NEK

I think a lot of the discussion decreased in the MPC submission threads because there was a general feeling that it could influence inclusion of one picture over another in the top 5.

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That makes sense, but I thought this was just for fun. Are people that serious about it? I'm happy to go with the flow as I'm not really a regular contributor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by butterscotch

Are people that serious about it?

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This is the internet, of course they are! :computer: ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by butterscotch

That makes sense, but I thought this was just for fun. Are people that serious about it? I'm happy to go with the flow as I'm not really a regular contributor.

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I'd like to see more discussion. Maybe I could learn a thing or two. Let's try to avoid "why didn't you pick image...". I'm not sure if the comments should be on the entry thread or the voting thread.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/...7b6bfd4d_b.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by butterscotch

That makes sense, but I thought this was just for fun. Are people that serious about it? I'm happy to go with the flow as I'm not really a regular contributor.

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A while back there was a feeling by some that comments unfairly biased people for or against certain pictures. It's also a bit tricky for me to comment when I also participate in the MPCs -- conflict of interest. But in general, I think without getting feedback/comments, for those of us trying to improve, it can be hard to know what works and what doesn't. Maybe one way would be for the MPC organizer, when putting up the voting thread, to explain why he/she chose the finalists and why maybe some other ones didn't make the cut. I know some have done that in the past, and that helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wiilbert

1:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...4/RQP_4370.JPG

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Very nice -- this would be even better with a piece of treat/object/something interesting just in front of the nose (maybe the treat could be partly out of focus) -- thus really bringing the nose into the focal point of the story as well as the DoF.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by uglymoney

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/...7b6bfd4d_b.jpg

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Really like the out of focus area in the foreground leading the eyes to the in-focus areas. I think it works very well for the theme, since the DoF is an integral part of the composition and the viewing experience. When there's an in-focus object in the foreground and a blurred background, the sharp foreground just stops the eye and could keep it from wandering the shallow DoF (unless there's something very recognizable/stand-out item in the blurred areas).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Todds

I'd like to see more discussion. Maybe I could learn a thing or two. Let's try to avoid "why didn't you pick image...". I'm not sure if the comments should be on the entry thread or the voting thread.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fuzz

A while back there was a feeling by some that comments unfairly biased people for or against certain pictures. It's also a bit tricky for me to comment when I also participate in the MPCs -- conflict of interest. But in general, I think without getting feedback/comments, for those of us trying to improve, it can be hard to know what works and what doesn't. Maybe one way would be for the MPC organizer, when putting up the voting thread, to explain why he/she chose the finalists and why maybe some other ones didn't make the cut. I know some have done that in the past, and that helps.

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I was thinking along these lines as well. I would be happy to post my thoughts on the photos I end up choosing as well as some of the near misses. I could outline my decision process as well.

I guess my concern is more on the side of things turning into a shit show, but truth isn't around anymore so maybe I should be less concerned?

Thanks for the feedback Fuzz! I always appreciate your input. I wish the picture had some more color in the background because I think the contrast would have set it off. I didn't set the shot up, just saw the opportunity after she propped her lawn chair against the front door - grabbed my camera and the 50 1.4 real quick and took some shots.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fuzz

Really like the out of focus area in the foreground leading the eyes to the in-focus areas.

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I agree. Nice shot!

Despite the fall colors coming on strong, there are still some blooms hanging around in the garden out back:

https://www.tetongravity.com/images/...r-1__forum.jpg

Thanks to "From_the_NEK" who made me realize that there are MPCs on TGR!
Here's my contribution (I'll just copy&paste the description from the other thread).

"No Pain, No Gain" - I never thought that shooting a road bike race could be very interesting, but boy, was I wrong...
12°C and heavy rain made for some spectacular shots!

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/...f9bd5e4a_b.jpgOut of the Dark by Christoph Oberschneider Photography, on Flickr

Friday bump. Lots of great entries so far, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get out and shoot this weekend. Or stay in and shoot. Whatever. Cutoff is 10:00 pm MDT on Monday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by butterscotch

Friday bump. Lots of great entries so far, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get out and shoot this weekend. Or stay in and shoot. Whatever. Cutoff is 10:00 pm MDT on Monday.

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To be honest, I am not sure if this qualifies. But there is a close up / far away kind of thing going on, so I am putting it out there:

https://tgr_prod.s3.amazonaws.com/35...ing__forum.jpg