There are also times when you want everything in a photo to be in sharp focus, however, from the very front of the foreground to the most distant part of the background. There's a way to do this, and it's called hyperfocal photography--or, more to the point, shooting at your lens's hyperfocal distance.

The term hyperfocal might sound a bit intimidating, but don't worry: There's no calculus or physics involved. The easiest way to understand hyperfocal distance is to imagine that it's the distance at which you need to focus your lens in order to get the deepest possible depth of field. Photographers often rely on the hyperfocal distance to ensure everything is in focus from the very foreground to the "infinite" background, as in the .

Consider this: Suppose you are taking a landscape photograph and want to include both a log lying on the ground in the foreground and some distant mountains. The log is only a few feet away, but the mountains are miles away--as far as the lens is concerned, they're at "infinity." Is it possible to get both extremes in sharp focus? Maybe. But how?

You already know that you should switch your camera to Aperture Priority and dial in the biggest f-number you can, like f/22. That setting gives you the best depth of field.