hyperfocal distance
Hyperfocal distance is a photography technique that can greatly enhance your landscape photography by helping you achieve maximum depth of field, ensuring that both your foreground and background remain sharp. It might be one of the trickiest terms to understand and utilize in photography.
In this easily explained guide, I will break down this important photography concept in simple terms. After reading this guide, you'll understand what hyperfocal distance is, how to calculate it, and how you can use it effectively to capture stunning, sharp images every time. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking to refine your skills, this guide will make mastering the subject easy and practical.
Still missing basic knowledge on the subject? You are welcome to read my comprehensive article on focus and depth of field.
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what is Hyperfocal distance?
Hyperfocal distance is the closest distance at which a lens can be focused while keeping objects at infinity acceptably sharp in a single shot. It is a technique that we'll apply when we need the maximum depth of field possible.
When to use the hyperfocal distance
Using the Hyperfocal distance is usually necessary when you need extremely large depth of field, or in situations where you suspect the depth of field isn't large enough and you need to know exactly where the sharpness begins and ends in the image. Knowing or having a good understanding of when it might be necessary depends on your level of knowledge of depth of field and experience.
First example - you're photographing an image with a wide angle lens that contains very close objects in the foreground (around 20-50cm away from the camera) and you want the entire image to be sharp including the background. Even though you're using a relatively narrow aperture, you're not sure the DOF is sufficient.
A tunnel like ice formation in Iceland. The near areas are around 30-50cm away from the camera.
Second example - you're photographing stars or the milky way at night with a wide angle lens and using a relatively wide aperture. Due to the use of wide aperture, you need to understand and make sure you have sufficient depth of field in the entire image.
A mushroom rock formation with the milky way. Shot at 14mm and F/2.8
In relatively rare situation, you might not be able to achieve sufficient DOF in a single shot even when using the hyperfocal distance. For such cases, in order to achieve larger depth of field you will need to use a different technique called Focus Stacking.
How to calculate depth of field and Hyperfocal distance?
As you probably already know, the depth of field (DOF) depends on the focal length, focus distance and aperture. Achieving sufficient depth of field will depend on these three factors. The hyperfocal distance will be determined depending on the focal length and aperture you use.
In order to calculate the depth of field and Hyperfocal distance you'll need a DOF calculator, which can be found in various apps for your smartphone (just search DOF calculator).
First example - when using a focal length of 16mm (full frame) and an aperture of F/8, the hyperfocal distance will be 1.08 meters. If we indeed place the focus at exactly 1.08 meters, the shrapness in the image will begin at 54cm and will end at infinity.
Second example - when using a focal length of 16mm (full frame) and an aperture of F/22, the hyperfocal distance will be 40cm. If we indeed place the focus at exactly 40cm, the sharpness in the image will begin at 20cm and will end at infinity.
In both examples above (or any other): if you place the focus closer than the hyperfocal distance - you will lose background sharpness. if you place the focus further away - you will still have background sharpness, but will loose some sharpness in the foreground.
Examples using Hyperfocal distance
In this image taken at the diamond beach in Iceland, I needed to be absolutely sure that both the ice formations in the foreground and the sunrise in the background will be in focus. I used a 16mm lens and an F/22 aperture. I placed the focus on the near ice formation, a bit less than a meter away from the camera.
In this image while photographing the milky way above Ramon crater in Israel I used a 14mm lens to get a wide view of the scene and sky. I also used an aperture of F/1.8 to get as much light as possible for the milky way. I needed to make sure both the tent in the foreground and the sky will be in focus. Checking the DOF calculator resulted that the hyperfocal distance is 3.68 meters, so I positioned the camera a bit further away of that distance from the tent.
conclusions
The hyperfocal distance is a rather complex term in photography. It might not be a very common technique to use or often needed, but it can be very important and required for those who practice more in depth landscape photography, Macro photography and architectural photography. It takes a bit of practice to get familiar with and utilize it, but once you understand it, it can be a vital tool in your photography technique.
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