Creating Layers in photos with depth of field

We have discussed Depth of Field (DOF) a few times before but it is a lesson that never grows old with me. If you take your camera off the automatic or program mode and set it for aperture priority, you can create the look where something is sharp and something is blurred.
Above, you can see that I have the flowers in the foreground sharp, while the mountains in the background are blurry. To achieve this, set your aperture large so the eye opens up large. That will be a small number for the aperture, which is a good way to remember it. The lower number the f-stop is, the larger the aperture.
To have everything in focus, you move the aperture up to around a f-stop of eleven.

Above, you can see some of my benches in the background and sweet potato vine in the foreground. This foreground would make a great spot for a greeting on a card.
Sometimes you just want a softened version of the subject matter like below.

Other times, you can find things that mimic each other such as Devil's Tower below in the background and a fence post in the foreground. The shape and color are similar whereas we know their size varies greatly. I love the detail of the fencing. Sometimes to get a sharp focus where you want it, you will need to take the camera off automatic focus and use manual focus.

Now that autumn is here, I think of these places I visited this summer and wonder how cold it is getting there. I heard that snow is falling in the Rockies in Colorado already, so I can just imagine it is in many of the locations we visited.

I love autumn the best of all the seasons. So far, I have not been able to go to the cabin and enjoy it like I usually do as I have been tied to the computer and phone with work, but I hope to go soon.

I look forward to all the wonderful foods of fall, but I think some of my favorite frozen items will be with me for a while, at least until I have to turn the heat on! My new favorite is WW yogurt, placed in the freezer for a while. I like it slightly frozen or frozen hard where I have to scrape it with a spoon! My favorites: amaretto cheesecake, apple pie and blueberry pie.

Also, I revisited an old favorite this week and it is just as wonderful as always! One cup of low fat buttermilk (don't grimace, I wouldn't normally drink the stuff either!), one cup whole frozen strawberries and some sweetener in the blender. You will not believe how good that is! I am not sure I have ever convinced any one to try it other than my daughter who used to beg for it as a child...but if you do, I think you will love it too!

Hope you are having a great week!