I own a couple DSLR's and even went to college back in the day for photography (pre-DSLR). So I would say I have some experience and one is able to gather those kinds of shots with current DSLR or any camera that has an adjustable F-stop.
Why couldn't they just take the photo and make it all in focus? I know there is artistry by using in and out of focus pictures, but to most people they are just trying to view the contents of the picture. One of the things that makes 3D movies so hard to watch is when you are looking past the person and the scene is not in focus.