Focus/aperture question

[Kenzie]

Hi guys, the wife and I are off to Thiepval next weekend and I have an idea for a photo. I would like to focus on a gravestone but throw the background and foreground out of focus. Do I need to open up the aperture wide (low number) and focus on the part I want in focus? Hope that makes sense?

[LewSpeight]

Hi Kenzie.
Yep, makes sense.
The lower the aperture number (the wider it opens the aperture rings) the stronger the shallow depth of field will be, which is the effect you're looking for.
So just do exactly what you've already said and you will get the effect you're after.
Hope this is alright for you.
Lew

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[jambo]

Focal length equations are a lot of work but generally as above the wider the aperture the shallower the depth of field. However distance to subject and lens length make a difference too. The closer the subject, the longer the focal length, and wider the aperture the shallower the depth of field. If you're not getting what you want experiment with zoning in and moving closer to see what helps with your camera and lens setup.

Jambo

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[Kenzie]

Thanks for the tips. Will try them out and see what happens.