Depth of Field and Macro Photography

Close-up or macro photography has seen a real resurgence since the introduction of digital cameras. Because of the small sensor size and the optical design of lenses, even extremely simple point-and-shoot digital cameras are able to take fantastic close-up photos. For example, I’ve had students show up for classes with shots of moths and dragonflies that I would never have dreamed of taking with a film camera.

There is, however, probably no other area of photography where flaws in depth of field are as obvious as in close-up photography. The reason is simple: Because of the intense magnification required to create close-up photos, and because of the very limited lens-to-subject distance, there is almost no inherent depth of field. The closer you get and the more magnification that you use, the less depth of field you have, and with extreme close-ups, the range of near-to-far focus is typically an inch or less.