Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 3/6/08 10:05:02 PM, webb.m@... writes:


> Question - for shots like this where you are stuck with a background
> of other trees and you have other trees to right and to left and
> sometimes in foreground - can you ever use DOF to emphasize your main
> subject? Nail focus on main subject but go very soft using DOF on,
> say, the background? Is this ever done with landscapes?
> 

Typically this would be tweeked in Photoshop after the fact, if it can't be 
shot as desired. Careful multiple, gradiated selections of the areas where less 
focus is desired can be saved and made less prominent by reduction of 
contrast, gaussian blurring (which emulates natural depth of field sharpness 
reduction) and other techniques. Often a heavily feathered round or oval selection is 
used to vignette a slight darkening to the outlying areas as well. Even 
without going all the way to a LensBaby/Holga type of effect, a lot of subtle 
emphasis can be shifted to the main focus of the image. Viewers typically will not 
even be aware of the process, if its done carefully.

If you are dealing with a mass of overlapping branches, then making effective 
selections may be difficult or even impossible, and natural depth of field 
differences may be your most practical choice.

C. David Tobie
WW Product Technology Manager
Digital Imaging & Home Theater
Datacolor
CDTobie@...
www.datacolor.com/Spyder3


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