Depth of Field and Storytelling in Portrait Photography

One of the most important decisions made when taking a portrait is how much depth of field (DoF) to have in your image. This is because what is included and in focus in your image plays a large role in the storytelling of the photo. Today, I’d like to explore the factors that contribute to DoF, and especially the storytelling impact of a shallow versus a deep DoF. I’ll also discuss what I have been gravitating toward in my own work.

What Impacts Depth of Field?

Depth of field is impacted by four variables: aperture, focal length, and distance to subject. Sensor size also plays an indirect role, since your focal length needs to change if you want the same composition on different sensor sizes. Since most people are not carrying multiple cameras with different sensor sizes, I will focus on the other three.

• Aperture is probably the first variable most people think of when changing DoF. A larger aperture (ie. f/2) will give you a more shallow DoF than a smaller aperture (ie. f/8), all other things equal.
• Focal Length impacts depth of field, along with the framing of your image. Longer focal lengths will have a more shallow DoF than shorter focal lengths (ie. 200mm will be much shallower than 24mm, all else equal).
• Distance to Subject is the final variable we will discuss in this article. Focusing on a closer subject will decrease DoF, while stepping back increases DoF.

Let’s look at a quick example of how these variables can work together to create very different looking images. If you took a photo on a full-frame camera with a 35mm lens at f/8, 10 feet to subject – your sharp depth of field will span about 19 feet. But if you zoomed into 70mm, opened your aperture to f/2.8, and moved closer to your subject so you were only 5 feet away, your depth of field drops to roughly 3 inches!

If you’d like a more detailed primer on depth of field, check out this article by Elizabeth.

Using Shallow Depth of Field

I will never forget when I got my first prime lens. Like many people, it was a 50mm f/1.8. Before that, I had been using the kit lens that came with the camera. It worked pretty well for the most part, but as with most kit lenses, had a relatively narrow maximum aperture.

I remember putting the 50mm prime on my camera, opening up the aperture all the way to f/1.8, and taking a picture. A whole new world felt like it had been unlocked! Gone were the more “point and shoot” or smartphone-like images, and now I had a picture that I felt grabbed attention. I started shooting pretty much all my photos at f/1.8, loving the smooth, non-distracting backgrounds, casting all the attention on the main subject.

I suspect that many people have a story somewhat similar to this in their photography journey. Discovering something that allows you to create a new type image or look is always exciting. (My other one was the Clarity slider in Lightroom, but that’s a story for another day.)

Using a shallow DoF tends to minimize the background elements, placing more emphasis on your main subject. These photos can be thought of as more traditional portraits, where what the photographer wants to focus almost your complete attention on the subject. Oftentimes the background is either completely obscured, or at least de-emphasized.

Small details in posing and expression can be particularly important in these types of photos, since there isn’t much else in the photo for the viewer to pay attention to. It’s all about the subject.

You can also use shallow DoF to create portraits with an unusual look, such as this image where the focus is not actually on the subject.

Portraits with a shallow DoF can be good when you have a distracting background. I also find that these types of portraits tend to be more punchy, and grab attention more immediately, since so much attention goes to the subject. At the same time, the simplicity of these photos can harm them at times. If you want to reward a viewer for looking at your photo more deeply, it can be more difficult when using a shallow depth of field.

Using Larger Depth of Field

In contrast to the shallow depth portraits, using a larger depth of field can give your main subject a sense of place, or interaction with their environment (which is why they are often called environmental portraits). I find that these types of portraits tend to be less punchy at first glance, but oftentimes have more depth or layers, rewarding the viewer for looking at the photo for longer.

The thing I like most about deeper depth portraits is the opportunity for storytelling. Depending on choices you make, the story can be one of synergy, where the elements of your subject (pose, expression, clothes, etc) align and make sense with the surrounding environment. Or the story can be one of conflict or mystery, where elements of your subject are in contrast to the environment around them.

Conclusion

Depth of field is an important part of portraiture, and it can have a dramatic impact on your image. Using a shallow depth of field can create attention-grabbing photos with maximum focus on your subject. Using a larger depth of field can create multi-layered image where your subject is part of a larger scene or environment. Personally, I enjoy both styles. I have been gravitating more towards larger depth in my portraits lately, preferring the storytelling capabilities that it offers. But there is always something compelling about a really well-executed shallow portrait.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about how I captured these photos, or how to use depth of field in portrait photography!