Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Zoom Lens • RAW • Color Temperature

Depth of Field

Term from Photography industry explained for recruiters

Depth of Field (often shortened to DOF) is a fundamental photography skill that refers to how much of a photo appears sharp from front to back. It's like controlling which parts of a picture are crystal clear and which parts are softly blurred. Think of it as deciding whether just the subject's face is in focus while the background is blurry (shallow depth of field), or everything from nearby flowers to distant mountains is equally sharp (deep depth of field). This skill is essential for portrait photographers, landscape photographers, and commercial product photographers, as it helps create different moods and draw attention to specific parts of an image.

Examples in Resumes

Created stunning portrait series using Depth of Field techniques to highlight subjects against blurred backgrounds

Mastered DOF control for product photography, ensuring entire items remained in sharp focus

Taught Depth-of-Field workshops to junior photographers and photography students

Typical job title: "Photographers"

Also try searching for:

Professional Photographer Commercial Photographer Portrait Photographer Product Photographer Studio Photographer Fashion Photographer Wedding Photographer

Where to Find Photographers

Online Communities

Job Boards

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How do you manage depth of field in challenging lighting conditions?

Expected Answer: A senior photographer should explain how they balance aperture settings with lighting needs, possibly mentioning real client situations and how they solved complex shooting scenarios while maintaining desired depth of field.

Q: How do you train junior photographers about depth of field concepts?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate teaching ability by explaining how they break down this complex concept into simple terms, with practical exercises and real-world examples they use to help others learn.

Mid Level Questions

Q: When would you choose a shallow vs. deep depth of field for commercial work?

Expected Answer: Should explain practical applications, like using shallow depth of field for portraits to blur distracting backgrounds, or deep depth of field for product photos to keep everything sharp.

Q: How do you ensure consistent depth of field across a series of product photos?

Expected Answer: Should discuss maintaining consistent camera settings, marking shooting distances, and using proper lighting setups to ensure all products in a series have the same level of sharpness.

Junior Level Questions

Q: Can you explain what depth of field means in simple terms?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that it's how much of the photo is in focus from front to back, and know the basics of how to control it using camera settings.

Q: What camera settings affect depth of field?

Expected Answer: Should know that aperture (f-stop) is the main control, and understand that wider apertures (lower f-numbers) create shallower depth of field, while smaller apertures (higher f-numbers) create deeper depth of field.