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What affects Depth of Field,
and therefore orbs?
DOF areas can get smaller
and larger depending on various factors. This
adjusts the size of the 'Orb Zone' - there area in which
it is possible to photograph dust particles as 'orbs'.
What changes DOF?
Adjusting the following
factors changes your DOF:
- Aperture size. When
the f-number is larger (the aperture is smaller) there
is a greater DOF.
- Distance between lens and
subject. The further you move from a subject the
greater the DOF.
- Focal length of lens.
‘Zooming – if you make your subject look bigger, DOF
decreases and vice versa
Each of these factors is
important to the DOF and therefore for orb capture.
However most cameras that allow you to control these
functions tend to be larger cameras that produce fewer
orbs anyway because of the distance of the flash from
the lens and because of the size of
the CCD (Charge Couple Device) chip.
How does my behaviour affect
orb capture?
Using an automatic, compact
camera your camera automatically makes adjustments for
your decisions. The following different behaviours
effect your DOF and therefore effect the size of the
'Orb Zone' and thus the number of orbs you photograph:
- Photographing large
rooms/outside places. If you are in an open, empty
place your 'subject' will be far away (e.g. a wall or a
tree, ultimately), thus you have a greater DOF.
Because of this greater DOF you increase the Orb Zone
size and thus capture more orbs.
- Taking photos in the dark.
If a location is really very dark the aperture will be
larger, in order to draw more light, and the DOF will be
shallower. Therefore taking photographs in the
pitch black will yield fewer orbs. However this is
largely theoretical as flash activation is the most
significant factor in orb photography (even if you don't
notice the automatic flash activate, if looking through
your view finder). Remember
taking photos in good lighting will produce fewer orbs,
too, because the automatic flash will not activate!
There are other factors that
affect DOF, and these reveal the secret of why 35mm
cameras rarely photograph orbs.
Read more here.
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