exercise: images with depth

Thinking specifically about the sense of depth within the image, try to produce three
images that each represent one of the following atmospheres:
• Dynamic/exciting /adventurous
• Oppressive/dull/stifling
• Complicated/confusing/uncomfortable
• Refined/mature/reasonable

Complicated/Confusing/Uncomfortable 


I first took this video thinking of dullness, and was trying to get an image plain in colour, and compare it with the second shot, where I have included a tone of blue. Then I realised that the dull image needed not only to be dull, but also stifling and oppressive, which this is not... So I decided to use it to express a more deep emotional, wordiness, complicated feeling.
I think that, in context, this could be use to express this. Would really work well a hard light, creating deep shadows.
In terms of depth, the first image looks plainer than the second one, and yet the blue works OK with the mood in the image, as everything is grey/blue.

Dynamic/Exciting/Adventurous


I chose these three shots for the dynamic/exciting/adventurous subject. I thought that the sunset light would work really good with this theme, with its warm colour and soft quality, creating very soft shadings, and I think it has worked OK.
To create depth I have positioned the camera behind some people who was closer in the first two shots, so I am creating obvious depth with big elements in the foreground. I have also increased the focal length, so the distant objects are unfocused.
Wandering around with the bicycle then I found this kayaking competition. The sun was already pretty low, so the lighting of the scene is pretty poor, and I don't think this works OK with the theme, but in terms of depth it had a good use, as the warmer colour of the foreground light created depth with the shadowed area in the foreground. Depth is also created by the created perspective of the landscape and people (people in the front, and in the background building).
Action and dynamism, though, is mainly created by the subject matter and not by the shoot.

Oppressive/Dull/Stifling


My first go with this video was a shot of myself with a pile of clothes on the couch, and the light set up very low, lighting me from one side at 90deg.
The problem with that shot was that due to the light coming from the opposite side than the pile of clothes, it was difficult to see the pile, therefore you couldn't appreciate any oppressiveness. Also the depth was not very significant. On a second try of this approach, I shot from behind a bookshelf, so the same subject was framed by the furniture, giving the idea of a more closed and stifling space, and including the (required) element of depth into the equation. This didn't work either as you could not really see the messiness from the angle I shot.
Finally, I decided to go for the video above, where Juan is giving a kind of speech (he was actually moaning about having to help me with my homework). The depth has been created with illumination, as I have illuminated the shelves behind from above, in a dark space. The oppressive feeling has been created with the lighting on the actor - from below, and generating hard shadows - and also with the low camera angle.

exercise: creating depth with lighting

Create a series of images with varying depth.
• Move objects around in the room, experimenting with perspective and lighting. Consider how you can use the lighting to create layers.
• Try adjusting the zoom on your lens. Place some items close to the lens and some further away. Start with a wide lens (zoomed all the way out) and then zoom-in in steps. 

For the next two pictures I placed the foot lamp in two different locations. When the lighting sources overlap, even when they apart, they don't seem to create depth (photo 1). 

1

2                                                                                               .  

The zoom creates the sensation that objects are closer between each other, an idea of flatness, as we could test in the previous exercise.  The sets of images below (3&4 and 5&6) show this, but the light spots help to create depth, focusing your attention on objects that, due to its size, are obviously closer than others (image 7 and the plant, compared with the person behind).

You would also think that the room used in 4 is smaller than the room used in image 3, though the space and camera position is the same. 

3

4

5

6

Finally, images 7 and 8 would seem to be done in a more cluttered space, but this would only be because we can see more of the objects in the image. 

7

8

All of the images would give a feeling of secrecy, mysteriousness, except probably image 8. This is because the light used is hard, i.e. creates sharp shadows in objects and people. 

exercise: depth

In this exercise we are asked to experiment with the depth of field in the camera, zooming in and out the same framing, where two objects are separated at different distances from the lens.
With the zoom out, or open, this is a short focal distance (18mm in the image below), the depth of field is big. The distant object can then be within the focus zone - although this didn't happen in my examples below - and the distance between the two objects seems larger. The best way of seeing this in the examples below is noticing the difference between the far side of the box in the 18mm and the 58mm images:

When you zoom in, increasing focal distance (and move away from the objects to have a similar frame) the objects seem closer between each other, and the distant object is blurrier as the depth decreases. Images are flatter with larger focal distances. 

The image below shows graphically how the focal distance affects the depth of field:

In the examples below the distance object seems always out of focus. This is because the distance to the objects also affects the depth of field, and I was taking the images close to the lenses. 

 
All graphics from http://www.blogdivvy.com/photog/depth-of-field.htm