By Jim Zuckerman
When photographing flat objects, you can achieve more depth of field by making sure the back of the camera is parallel with the subject. (In the past, when we shot film, we used to refer to the ‘film plane’ being parallel, but now it sounds strange to refer to the ‘plane of the sensor’ so I say that the 'camera back' must be parallel.)
In low light, when a large lens aperture is required if you are hand holding the camera, you need all the depth of field help you can get. For example, this photo of iridescent bubbles on a black sand beach in New Zealand was a real challenge. It was taken on a dark, overcast day, yet I couldn’t use a tripod because it was very windy and the bubbles kept moving and breaking, and the surf would come up and change everything. Plus, there was a dog on the beach that really wanted to play. I’d throw a piece of driftwood as far as I could and gain another 15 seconds or so of shooting time before the enthusiastic dog came over and stepped in my bubbles.
I made sure the back of the camera was parallel with the sand as I shot straight down on the bubbles – careful to keep my feet out of the picture -- and at f/4.5 I was able to get the entire surface of the sand and the bubbles sharp. You can see my silhouetted form against the cloudy sky as I leaned down to take this unique macro shot.
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