Lehigh University
Art Architecture and Design
113 Research Drive
Building C
Bethlehem, PA 18015

Claire, Depth of Field, Long and Short

Depth of Field

Diane Arbus: Two Girls on the Beach, Coney Island, N.Y 1958

This photo is an example of a short depth of field image. The two girls in this image are in focus and the background is blurry. The girl on the left has a bit of a disgusted look on her face and the girl on the right seems a bit happier but still is not entirely smiling. The back ground is almost impossible to make out because of how blurry it is but the girls seem to be outside (the caption says they are on a beach so that helps determine exactly where they are). The girl in the black bathing suit is standing slightly in front of the girl in the white. The short depth of field allows my eyes to be immediately drawn to the two girls, without any interference from the background.

Walker Evans: Barber Shops, Vicksburg, Mississippi

This photo is an example of a deep depth of field image. In the center of the image are three men, two sitting and one standing. They are in front of a “Hair Cut” shop. The building has wood panels layered horizontally from the ground up. About 3/4’s from the top of the image the wood panels get darker, either from a shadow or from paint. The store to the right of the “hair cut” shop is a grocery sort and there is a sign for a possible store on the left but I am unable to read what it says. The long depth of field in this image allows the details of the building, doors, road, curb, signs, and people to all be in focus.

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