Shallow Depth of Field

Filming with a narrow range that looks sharp (depth of field), so only one plane is sharp and what is in front or behind is blurred. It is the opposite of deep focus. Depth of field gets shallower the wider the aperture (the smaller the f-number), the longer the focal length, and the closer the subject. Putting more distance between subject and background blurs the background more.

Camera position seen from outside. The blue camera, with a lens close to 50mm, frames the bunny from the waist up, with buildings lined up behind. The blur is not drawn in this view.

Camera view. The bunny is sharp from the waist up, and the buildings behind blur so much only their shapes remain. In the comparison it switches to deep focus and even the buildings turn sharp.

How it feels

Focus
Separation
Inner life
Emotional
Softness

When to use it

Drawing all attention to the face in a close-up
Pulling a character out of a busy background so they stand out
Scenes centered on a character’s feelings and thoughts, like a melodrama
Filming a person with lights blurred behind them in a café or street at night

In the movies

Lost in Translation (2003) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

Star Trek (2009) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

Central Station 1998
Yale’s film analysis guide gives it as an example of shallow depth of field used in close-ups.
Peking Opera Blues 1986
Yale’s film analysis guide gives it as an example of shallow focus, with only part of the frame sharp.

Not to be confused with

Bokeh: Shallow depth of field is the blurred range appearing; bokeh is the shape and texture of that blur.
Soft Focus: Shallow depth of field blurs only what is outside the focus; soft focus makes even the in-focus part glow softly.
Tilt-shift: In shallow depth of field the sharp plane is parallel to the camera; tilt-shift angles the sharp plane itself.
Telephoto: At the same distance and f-number a telephoto is shallower, but if you stand farther back to frame the person at the same size, the sharp range becomes similar. The background still blurs more with a telephoto.

Prompt

Keyword

shallow depth of field

Descriptive

Very shallow depth of field, f/1.4. The subject is in sharp focus from the waist up while the street behind dissolves into soft blur.

Try these combinations

Shallow depth of field + portrait: a blurred park behind
Portrait of a man with a shallow depth of field, their face sharp against a softly blurred park background with beautiful bokeh
Shallow depth of field + close-up: lights in a café at night
Close-up of a woman in a cafe at night, shallow depth of field, city lights melting into bokeh behind her