Comment pouvez-vous créer des photos minimalistes en utilisant la mise au point et la profondeur de champ?

The closer you are to your subject, the smaller the depth of field will be. It then goes to what aperture you use at that distance. Depth of field usually starts at the point of focus and goes back in the frame a certain amount. On most camera you can have the focus area show with zebra stripes or red lines, which can help a lot.

You want viewers to focus on a certain area of your photos. As a headshot photographer, I want viewers to focus on the subjects eyes. I use spot metering and put the dot on a person’s eyes and usually am at 93 mm focal length and f4. This allows the eyes to be tack sharp with a fall off focus. This will help keep to viewers attention where it belongs, on expression.

Using a shallow depth of field helps the viewer focus (see what I did there ;) on the subject, while the background becomes a pleasant frame made of colour and light, but with no strong texture or specific features that can distract. The eye goes straight to the part that is in focus, usually the subject's eyes, and the attention is immediately grabbed.

It's not just the aperture that defines your depth of field, but the distance from the subject as well. If you're very close and focus on the eyes using a very low f-stop like f1.8 or f2, you will see that your subject's ears will be out of focus. If you use the same f-stop from a distance, the whole face will be in focus, and possibly also a bit in front and behind the subject. So, the combination of your lenses' focal length, distance and f-stop is what will determine the depth of field you are trying to achieve.

Minimalist photos are usually composed by isolating the subject, which can be a person or an object, using a shallow depth of field and normally a longer focal length. Another example of minimalism, though, can be found in architectural photography, where we would not use a shallow depth of field at all. On the contrary, we would use a shorter focal length to make sure all parts of the building, or the interior, are in sharp focus – and relying of composition to give that minimalist connotation. Simple lines, leading lines, geometrical shapes, clearly defined light and shadows, are all good elements to look out for when trying to create a minimalist architectural photo.

For headshots, I consider myself a modern minimalist. I don’t want viewers attention all over the place like on bright jewelry, distracting backgrounds, or loud patterns. I usually show on a solid color background at f4 and 93 mm focal length. This allows a beautiful falloff of focus, exposure, etc. I also try to have the person’s lead eye on the top right or left rule of thirds position. No distractions and allowing the headshot to make an impact!

Understanding colour and light contrast is also very useful when aiming at minimalism in your photos. If your subject is light, or backlit, it's useful to have a darker background to make it "pop". If your subject has a colour, you can try to place it against a complementary background colour. If it's dark, it's going to stand out against a lighter colour. The use of colour and light is very effective when choosing a background for your subject, as even the most mundane locations can be used when we blur them enough not to be recognisable anymore. So streaks of light, reflected light, dark sharp shadows, can all be used quite effectively in minimalist photography.

How to use composition for minimalist photography? Depth of field is not the only technqiue to achieve this. Selecting objects that are surrounded by a minimalist area can be captured by zooming in and avoding the clutter around it. Making this a long exposure to, for example, smooth out the water or blur the clouds, adds to the serene feeling.

Another way to accentuate the subject is to have separation between them and the background. Instead of placing the subject against the backdrop, try moving the subject closer to the camera. This way when you use a longer focal length and/or smaller aperture, the background will be nicely out of focus.