Originally Posted by xenigo

I see all this talk about "DOF shots" and all I'm thinking is "what the fuck are you talking about?". I think what you're referring to is shallow DOF taken with a lenses with a large aperature and large sensor, versus the "deep DOF" that you would see with a camera shooting with a small sensor and small aperature.

For the record, although Dean is a great photographer, and his work is fantastic, this isn't something Dean invented or even made popular. Canon and Nikon have a whole range of lenses and cameras who's whole purpose is allow a more shallow DOF.

I see several of you mentioning that you think images taken with a shallow DOF are unnatural, or something that surfers are not savvy to. Shallow DOF images actually mimic the human eye. Put your finger in front of your eye at a far distance, and take note of the background. Now, move your finger in front of your eye at a close distance. Do you see the background become more blurry? This is exactly what the lens does. This isn't a "trick" or a "novelty"... this is just how lenses work... both the lenses in your camera AND the lenses in your eyes.