[Soupdragon]

Selective focus is a term I have seen used in some threads here.
My education is sadly falling shy of the mark regarding this technique as it's not something I have knowingly used.

Would anyone like to enlighten me on this one?

[stepheno]

It is just the procedure of selecting that part/subject of the scene which you want to be in focus. If you want a shot of a flower you would probably use a wide aperture so as to selectively focus on the flower leaving the b/g out of focus.

[Markulous]

As an example, if you're like me, you set the camera for a fast-ish shutter speed, everyone says "Love the selective focus" and you, bemusedly accept the compliments; decide to deliberately go for it next time - and fail miserably with everyone saying "More DOF needed"!

[Charlotte]

Here's the link to a tutorial I gave you in the other thread, but I see you opened a new thread with the question, so here it is again

Basically, it is placing the range of DoF exactly where you want it, which is essential in macro + close-up work. It's commonly used in portraiture when you place the sharp focus on, say, the eyes + let the rest of the focus fall where it will. This is selective focusing, i.e. selecting the point at which you wish the sharpest focus to be in your image.

When this is done intentionally, it's called 'selective focus', + when you do it without really thinking about it, it's normally referred to simply as DoF.

Straight forward really, in fact all it is, is terminology : 'selective focus' is controlled DoF

[Markulous]

Since we're talking terminology, I'd say that selective focussing is using the DOF to isolate an object (whether deliberate or otherwise is irrelevant).

Keeping the object in focus whilst allowing the surroundings to blur is effectively using DOF in the same way as selective colouring highlights an object against the background

[Soupdragon]

So it's dof then! just a different term for it.

[Markulous]

....... or a subset of DOF!

[Charlotte]

It's using DoF to achieve a desired effect of which part of your subject/image you want in sharp focus + which part you want to be de-focused (blurred).

[silver]

right,. DOF refers to the amount of the scene which is reasonably in focus,.

selective focus is when you control the focus point + DOF to choose which parts of the scene are in focus,. to me 'selective focus' implies you have made a concious decision abt which parts are in focus

Sil

[Soupdragon]

I understand, I just assumed everybody did that automatically!