Focal Plane Explained

On this quick CreativLive video, photographer Mark Wallace takes a look at one of the most basic things every photographer needs to understand – your camera focal plane.

Focal plane represents the area in a camera where light is focused – if your image is in focus this will fall directly on your sensor. If the image isn’t in focus the focal plane will be either in front or behind your camera sensor (or film). The way you can can control this is either by focusing (with AF or manually with your lens) or by changing your distance from your subject (either getting physically closer or further away or by zooming in or out if you have a zoom lens).

All this is very basic, Wallace already took this one step further in another video by looking at the differences between blurry images and out of focus images (which happen when you focal plane is not in the right place).

You can watch many more photography tips on the LensVid technique section.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.