The basics of aperture
Aperture is a camera term that refers to the hole or opening through which light travels. This light provides the exposure for your photographs, so if you don’t want dark photos or blown out (also referred to as over-exposed) photos, you’ll want to make sure that you fine-tune your exposure settings. The easiest way to do this is to set the appropriate aperture setting for the lighting conditions you’re shooting in.
With aperture, less is more. This means that the smaller the f stop (this is usually imprinted on lenses; a low f stop is around 1.4, while a high one may be 8, 10, 12, or even more), the more light that will be let into the lens, which in turn means brighter photos. So if you’re planning on shooting with your flash off in a dimly lit area, you’ll want to set your f stop to the lowest number possible. On the other hand, if you’re shooting outdoors on a bright, sunny day, consider raising the f stop above 6, as anything less will result in very blown out photos.
The easiest way to get a better grasp on aperture is to experiment! Set up a stationery photo shoot somewhere in your house, and keep the light conditions consistent and the stationery subject of your photo in the same position when you take a photograph. Shoot at low f stops and then work your way up. You’ll notice that not only does the light in the photo decrease, but the focus of background objects will also increase.
Happy shooting!
Filed Under: Tips
