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Shallow Focus

Selective depth isolates subjects, steering attention and evoking intimacy or dreaminess.


Technical Drivers

Fast lenses (f/1.2) and large sensors accelerate background bokeh. Music videos popularised ultra-shallow portraits; DSLR revolution put the look in indie hands.

Storytelling Uses

A narrow plane of focus externalises subjective isolation—Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation bathes characters in hazy neon.


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