deepfocus shooting style 003
Channel: TheFilmForge
Date: 2023-05-25

DeepFocus is a concept and technique commonly used in photography and cinematography. It refers to achieving a large depth of field, which means having a significant portion of the image in sharp focus, from the foreground to the background.

In photography, deep focus is often achieved by using a small aperture (high f-number) to increase the depth of field. This allows for capturing details both near and far from the camera, resulting in a well-focused image throughout. Deep focus photography is commonly used in landscape and architectural photography, where it is desired to have sharpness from the foreground elements to the distant horizon.

In cinematography, deep focus became popularized by filmmaker Orson Welles in his movie "Citizen Kane" (1941). He worked with cinematographer Gregg Toland to use deep focus extensively, allowing for sharpness in both the foreground and background of the frame. This technique helped to create a sense of depth and visual complexity within the composition.

Deep focus can be contrasted with shallow focus, where only a small portion of the image is in sharp focus, while the rest appears blurred. Shallow focus is often used to direct the viewer's attention to a specific subject or to create a sense of depth by separating the subject from its surroundings.

Overall, deep focus is a technique used in visual arts to achieve a greater depth of field, resulting in a larger area of the image being in sharp focus.