Nikon Digital Camera Blog

Photography in Archaeology

How often do you take a photograph of a feature but end up with a shot that

makes it difficult to work out what the centre of attention of the photograph is

supposed to be?  This is where we can steal a trick from portrait photography.

The process is in essence the opposite of  the previous technique.  You want to have the specific subject of your photograph to be in clear focus while superfluous

background is out of focus to dramatically highlight the subject.

To adjust the depth of field you will once again set the camera dial to A or AV

(Canon) Now you can change the f-number, often by scrolling a dial or using

up/down buttons.  You should be able to see the  f-number change on the

screen.

Different cameras often have different available  f-numbers, the rule is the

same.  Small numbers  i.e. f2.8 create a short depth of field where only the

main subject is in focus.  So to ensure the feature (whether that is a cut or an

architectural element) is in sharp contrast to the background, choose an f-

number such as f2.8 – f5.6.  If you have a ‘portrait mode’ you could also try to

see if it gives the results you need.

You can also reduce the depth of field by zooming in on the feature (only ever

use the optical zoom – do not use digital zoom!)  and then standing

backwards (sounds daft…  zoom in and then step back.. but the results are

worth it) Or, move closer!

TIP :

The closer you go to the subject, the less Depth of Field you will

get and the further away, the more Depth of Field will be obtained.

NOTE :

Large f-numbers close the hole in the lens, letting in LESS light.  The camera must then compensate by taking a longer exposure, which can in turn increase the risk of camera shake. The higher the f-number the steadier you must hold the camera.  Tripods are cheap light and useful in many situations.

Photography in Archaeology

Often you are required to take general shots of either the site or trench or th

surrounding landscape.  It sounds easy and an automatic setting should tak

care of most situations.  But many shots have subjects that are both near an

far from the camera – the trick is to have it all in focus.  Too often either th

background or foreground are slightly blurred.  To sort this you will have t

increase your depth of field.

To adjust depth of field you will have to be in Aperture Priority mode.  This

set by turning the dial to A or in the case of Canon models AV.

Now you can change the f-number, often by scrolling a dial or using up/dow

buttons.  You should be able to see the f-number change on the screen.

Landscapes-and-General-Shots

A large f-number i.e f16 creates a large depth of field where subjects both

1-This shot has both the foreground subject and the background in sharp focus

near and far will be in focus.  Choose the

largest available which will be anything over f8

or even up to f16. (or  f32 if your camera has

such a setting)

You can also get a wide  depth of field by

zooming out to the widest angle your camera

can go and then add to that a high  f-number

will ensure a maximum range in focus.