Macro series continues - Depth of field

One a warm weekend, I took off to hunt for some insect macros. Within minutes, I realized that there are few flies flying around a particular sunny area. There I found the source of this activity... a pile of fresh bird excrement... For any other it would be disgusting.. But for me, it meant that I am gonna lay down right next to it to get some macros of its main customers...flies. Here s one of the first shots I took,

 

You might notice that I have gone for a higher depth of field (DOF) in order to catch a lot of its body in focus in the hunt for details. Yet, in this picture its also noticeable that the background is too busy.  In other words, its a cluttered background and the deep DOF is keeping most of that in focus. So, here is a logical scenario where a shallow DOF (focused precisely on the closest eye on the insect) would help me separate the subject from the busy background. Here s one such image I took with natural available light at f/2.8. 

So, the takeaway message is this. If you have the ability to insert light or there s ample ambient light available, then first go for shots with high DOF. They will be your safe shots. Most of the insect and even some of the background in focus. Then depending on how nice of a bokeh the background will make or to avoid a busy one altogether, reduce the depth of field and shoot one with a carefully selected focus point. This is an unforgiving setup as a millimeter deviation of the focus point might ruin the whole shot. 

All Pics are Copyrighted. 

Have fun shooting.. 

Akila.