Depth-of-Field and Winter

Much like nature, my photography usually goes dormant during the winter months.  I think it has something to do with the all the barren landscapes winter brings.  Plus, with your prime post-dawn / pre-dusk lighting for great photography being seasonally constricted to times when I am at work I just find myself watching opportunity pass me by.  Combined with the cold and darkness that makes sometimes go all day with out seeing daylight when I am caught up indoors all day; I just find myself unmotivated.

However, I decided to take my 50mm f1.4 out on Saturday and focus on details rather than the big pictures.  It reminded me of the lessons of when the landscape doesn't offer the grand vista worth taking a picture of, look around and narrow your gaze to your immediate surroundings.  

Using this lens also reminded me of why I love it.  For an relatively inexpensive lens it is very sharp and the bokeh is stunning.  Although I rarely open the aperture up all the way, as I find its depth-of-field is too narrow and my subject ends up looking soft, I pushed it to f1.4 a couple of times and love how the background just melts together.

The following slide-show is a few of the images I took from Saturday when the family and I went poking around Naksan Park in Seoul.