Photo Ratios!

[Sony_SoFar]

I'm always looking at the macro photos and some posters are saying the background is not right, or the DOF is out etc.
So what is the ratio of importance between the background and the main focal point?
Its been on my mind for a few days so just needed to ask!!

 

[DSLR]

Hi there have a look at this http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

 

[cdiver2]

I don't think the poster is asking how to get a given DOF but

So what is the ratio of importance between the background and the main focal point?

How fare out of focus should the background be.
For me if the background is part of the photographic story then fairly sharp. On the other hand if I want the viewer to just focus on the main subject then throw the back ground way out.

 

[DSLR]

ok have a look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrophotography

 

[Musicman]

So what is the ratio of importance between the background and the main focal point?

1:1.61803399

or thereabouts.

 

[Splog]

1:1.61803399

or thereabouts.

Nope! way off .... You forgot to subtract the 0.2 for the recursion factor of the delimiting magnitude of the diffuse light divided by the focal length of diffraction.

It should be 1: 1.418

 

[Mike Jackson]

Back on topic.

It's completely subjective.

What do you want to achieve. Most of my macro insects I want to lose the background completely and have the entire insect in focus so I use a ring flash and f/18-f/22.

Other times if I want a more creative shot I'll use a wider aperture and focus on the eyes. This gives a nice shallow depth of field but the background is still there but nicely out of focus.

If I want the image in context I'll ditch the macro and use my 70-200 from further away and keep most of the shot in focus.

 

[cdiver2]

+1