question about focusing for geysers.pools etc

when your photographing a hot spring or pool and want it all in focus would I use like f8- f11 then compose my shot and then focus 1/3 of the way up

tulsatom wrote in post #16939922
when your photographing a hot spring or pool and want it all in focus would I use like f8- f11 then compose my shot and then focus 1/3 of the way up

I would need to see the scene before I could judge where to focus. 1/3 of the way in is a rough guideline only.

Firstly, you say you want it all "in focus" which is not possible, you are only "in focus" at the distance you focused on. What you are actually wanting is for it all to be within the depth of field, which is not the same thing. The DOF is the area which will be "acceptably sharp". As soon as you move nearer or further away from the focused plane ("in focus") the image will gradually get softer and less sharp, as you approach the edges of the DOF zone it will become softer and softer until, at the edge, it becomes "unacceptable".

Keep in mind too, that DOF is a fuzzy concept. DOF tables make it look precise by giving the DOF to fractions of an inch, but in reality DOF is not that precise. The tables use a set of basic assumptions for the math, but these assumptions are variables that can change significantly. Aperture and focal length are straightforward and give a specific value, but other assumptions include eyesight of the viewer, size of print, viewing distance, circles of confusion size, what the hell do YOU consider acceptable sharpness anyway etc. So, the DOF table assumes a 10x8" print viewed at typical distance when held in the hand, if you view the image on your computer at 100% you wil find the DOF is massively reduced as you are now looking at an image maybe 5 feet wide from the same sort of distance. Parts of the image that should be well within the "acceptably sharp" zone are now looking horribly out of focus. The same will hold true if you do a big enlargement. Conversely, produce a web image that shows at maybe 6 inches across on a typical monitor and areas that are outside the DOF, according to the tables, will now look sharp.

So, yes, sometimes simply focusing part way into a scene is what you want, at other times you will have a specific area which is the intended focus of attention, a waterspout for instance, in which case you would be better focusing directly on that, to capture it as sharp as possible, and select an aperture to give you the DOF you need to keep the areas you want acceptably sharp.

That may well be f/8-f/11 or you may need smaller apertures than that, or be able to use wider ones. This depends on focal length and distance of course, but also how do you intend to display the image? For web use and small display size / small prints you can get away with a larger aperture than when the intention is to produce a 20x30" print that people are likely to view from a couple of feet away.

Your idea of f/8-f/11 and focus a 1/3 in, isn't wrong as a rough guide but there are so many possible variables that you would need to consider when looking at the actual scene. You also need to bear in mind that whilst the rule of thumb has always been that DOF extends 1/3 in front and 2/3 behind the focal plane, that isn't always the case and it can be 1/2 and 1/2 with some focal lengths and distances.

Would u by chance know of a good video or tut for this subject or perhaps one for landscape photography. Im just doing my best to research all this before our once in a lifetime trip to Yellowstone and trying my best to be prepared

tulsatom wrote in post #16940003
Would u by chance know of a good video or tut for this subject or perhaps one for landscape photography. Im just doing my best to research all this before our once in a lifetime trip to Yellowstone and trying my best to be prepared

Sorry, I don't.

I have been into photography for about 35 years, so I just shoot using a combination of instinct and experience, and was already doing that when this new fangled internet came along. So the only tutorials I have ever watched have been to learn better digital editing, I have the basics of taking the shots sorted long ago.

The advantage that you have, compared to when I was learning, is that digital is cheap and you can take several shots of your subject in different ways, with near instant feedback. In my day, it cost real money for every click of the shutter and you didn't see the results until you got back to the darkroom (or got your prints back from the lab).

That means that you can take a couple of shots focused 1/3 of the way in, at f/8 and f/11, then maybe another at f/16. Then change your focus onto a particularly interesting part of the scene, perhaps a geyser erupting, and again shoot at different apertures (if you have time, it may depend on how often the eruptions occur). Experiment too with different shutter speeds, the geyser shot at a slow shutter speed will look completly different to the one at a fast shutter speed, where every droplet is frozen in space.

That will improve your chances of getting the shot that you want, then later when you look through them look at the exif and see how you shot it, see also how you shot the ones you DON'T like and think about what settings changed and how that affected the shot. That way you will learn what works in different situations, how you achieve different looks and an instinct for how much DOF you get from different apertures under different conditions.

You don't have to wait until your trip, go out and experiment. Find a scene you like, local to you, and shoot it in various ways, play around with apertures and where you focus. Parks and gardens are good for experimenting with DOF as the plants show it well. That will teach you more than a video tutorial and give you real world experience to fall back on, when shooting in future.

Exif is a great tool for helping you to analyze your results, so much easier than having to write down all your settings in a notebook, for every shot, as we did when I was going through that process.

thanks again sandpiper...........an​d ya I feel for the ones that tried to make a living out of photography back when it was film based ..........I really do not that I ever was a professional but I did start out on a old 35mm like 2 yrs ago and well needless to say it was very hard to find film for it and when I did find film it was exspensive

Likely f11 (FF, f8 crop) and focus on the center of the pool.

Tripod + manual focus + live view + DOF preview + 10x zoom are your friends. Compared to 35mm film it's a breeze, but that doesn't mean it is effortless.

Obviously experience pays a huge role here.

Even if you just stick to one aperture, taking shots with various focal points is a good idea. I still do this occasionally when I know I'm really close to the limit of what I find acceptable.

IME geysers do not in general look good at slow shutter speeds. I keep thinking they'd look good, and it would be something interesting, but the only longer-exposure shot I ever liked was shot at night. You'll not get too close to most geysers without breaking Federal law so f8 and focus on the geyser should be good. I can think of some exceptions, but I've never seen anyone taking shots of those geysers the way I do - they are small and I get really close.

^^ I agree. Geysers at slow shutter speeds just doesn't work for me. Also, for some of the pools, with the steam coming off you will need to manually focus, as the steam will mess with your auto focus system. Finally, you will want a high quality circular polarizer to cut down on glare and enhance the colors in the pools.