Red-winged Blackbird I

Red-winged Blackbird I, 2011

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Artistically, I most admire photos with a shallow depth of field.  The focal point of the composition pops because visual background noise has been minimized.  When I get the depth of field right, my photos look more professional. 

Here, I got lucky using my auto settings.  At the time, I hadn’t learned how to consciously use depth of field to my advantage.  Now, I keep my digital camera set to Aperture Priority so I can change the f-stop settings on the fly.  Occasionally, I even bracket several shots, using different f-stops to help get the shot I’m looking for.