BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Exposure Settings

Photography Question 

Anthony Green
 

Getting Foreground and Background Sharp


I am doing a shoot for a friend's company and I want to know how best to keep the people and background landscape sharp and in focus.


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July 02, 2007

 

Christopher A. Vedros
  The short answer is to use the smallest aperture that will still give you a reasonable shutter speed. (f/8, f/11 or a higher f/number would work better than f/4 or f/5.6 If you're more used to shooting in auto modes, then use the landscape mode if your camera has one.


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July 02, 2007

 

Bob Cammarata
  Follow Chris' advice ... but critically focus on the people in the foreground. They are the primary point of interest, and even if the background is a little out of focus, it's doubtful that anyone will really care.
Also, a wide-angle lens will help you achieve your intended goal easier, but the trade-off will be smaller (more distant) background elements and possible distortion of the folks in the foreground.
Bob


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July 02, 2007

 

Anthony Green
  Thanks I will let you know how it goes, and I will try my wide angle and then try the telephoto.


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July 03, 2007

 

Michael L. Seljos
  You might also consider taking 2 or 3 horizontal shots and then stitching them together into a small panorama photo. I have used this technique many times very successfully for those situations where I don't have a lens that will work for what I want to do.


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July 10, 2007

 
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