What Is Aperture?
By: Daniel Sach
With the popularity of digital photography, the amateur photographer can now successfully take stunning images previously reserved for the professionals. More of what we do is automated and requires less thought and consideration. Most DSLR type cameras have a shooting mode labeled “A” and is known as auto mode. Although this may seem handy, most professional photographer prefer to set their cameras based on their knowledge and experience. So how often do we, as photographers consider one of the most fundamental basics of the art of photography - Aperture?
For those who have studied photography at school or through books, aperture is something which takes a little time to understand. Aperture, also known as and referred to as f/ stop, represents, in very basic terms, how much light is allowed into the camera. The aperture works like a mechanical eye, constructed of overlapping sections that work like a diaphragm which open and close. The bigger the diaphragm is open, the more light will be allowed in and the depth of field will be shallow. If it is opened smaller, less light will be allowed in and the overall image will be more in focus.
Note: The tricky part about understanding how aperture works, is remembering, the smaller the aperture is opened, the higher the F/Number. The opposite if true as well, the more open or wider the Aperture, the smaller the F/number. Although it seems simple enough, controlling the aperture is not always so easy. Other factors such as shutter speed work hand in hand with the aperture. The amount of light you have available and the lens you are using are factors to take into consideration also.
Older manual lenses have apertures that are able to be adjusted on the lens itself. These days, we have adjustable aperture settings on the actual camera body. Although most tend to let the camera make the decisions, for those wishing to take their photography to the next level I recommend at a minimum that you note the settings used for future reference. Choosing manual on your camera gives you greater control and gives you the chance to really reconnect with photography. Shooting in Manual mode is the best way to learn if you are a beginner and understand the relationship between aperture and shutter speed.
-------DanielSach--------
