Photography tips

Using depth of field creatively

View of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky.

Key tips

  1. Use a small aperture to achieve maximum depth of field from the foreground to the horizon.
  2. Pay attention to the depth of field when using an aperture of f/22 to ensure both the foreground and the distant subject remain clearly visible.
  3. Use a small aperture like f/22 to achieve maximum depth of field throughout the image.

Photographs on this topic

413 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects City Architecture Mountains Landscape Lucerne Pilatus Lake Lucerne Central Switzerland
View of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky. 12 mm · f/14 · 1/15 s · ISO 200 View of the Chapel Bridge with Water Tower and Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky 12 mm · f/18 · 1/15 s · ISO 200 View of the Water Tower and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne through a decorative iron railing 32 mm · f/18 · 1/60 s · ISO 1000 View through an ornate iron railing at the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne during evening light 24 mm · f/18 · 1/60 s · ISO 800 Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne at sunset 30 mm · f/18 · 1/30 s · ISO 200 Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with reflection in the lake at dusk 45 mm · f/20 · 1/30 s · ISO 200 Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at dusk over the Reuss river 12 mm · f/18 · 1/30 s · ISO 200 View through a shaded passage towards the Lucerne Water Tower 28 mm · f/14 · 1/2 s · ISO 200 View through an ornamental metal gate onto the Wasserturm and Kapellbrücke in Lucerne at dusk. 12 mm · f/22 · 1/10 s · ISO 125 View of the Lucerne water tower through a metal ornament 19 mm · f/22 · 1/13 s · ISO 160 Stone Nölliturm in Lucerne viewed from a low angle 12 mm · f/22 · 1/13 s · ISO 160 Cobblestone alley in the old town of Lucerne with a view of the Chapel Bridge and the Wasserturm 29 mm · f/14 · 1 s · ISO 200 View from the rocky edge of Mount Pilatus over Lake Lucerne and surrounding mountains 12 mm · f/16 · 1/400 s · ISO 500 Hiking trail on Mount Pilatus with a view of Lake Lucerne and the surrounding area 12 mm · f/18 · 1/250 s · ISO 500 Group of alphorn players in traditional costume on the Pilatus observation deck 45 mm · f/18 · 1/160 s · ISO 500 Group of alphorn players in front of the Hotel Bellevue on Mount Pilatus in clear weather 12 mm · f/18 · 1/400 s · ISO 500 Two men and one woman in traditional Swiss costume playing alphorns on the observation deck of Mount Pilatus with an alpine panorama in the background. 45 mm · f/18 · 1/320 s · ISO 500 Group of alphorn players in traditional Swiss costume in front of the Pilatus rock face 45 mm · f/18 · 1/320 s · ISO 500 Alphorn players in traditional costumes at Hotel Pilatus-Kulm in front of a rock face 45 mm · f/18 · 1/320 s · ISO 500 Group of alphorn players in traditional Swiss costume on a terrace at Mount Pilatus 16 mm · f/18 · 1/400 s · ISO 500 The summit of Mount Pilatus surrounded by clouds in warm light 150 mm · f/9 · 1/10 s · ISO 400 Lake Lucerne in the orange light of sunset with cloudy sky 45 mm · f/16 · 1/100 s · ISO 250 View across Lake Lucerne towards Mount Pilatus at sunset 12 mm · f/16 · 1/60 s · ISO 640 Flags celebrating the 125th anniversary of FC Luzern with Hotel Schweizerhof in the background 24 mm · f/16 · 1/160 s · ISO 200

Related topics

  • City
  • Architecture
  • Mountains
  • Landscape
  • Composition
  • Camera settings
  • Light
  • Perspective
  • Lucerne
  • Pilatus
  • Lake Lucerne
  • Central Switzerland
  • Evening light
  • Sunset
  • Fog
  • Snow
  • Rain
  • Night
  • Blue hour
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