| Shooting with a camera and adjusting the settings | | | | exposed. And, the more time the film has to absorb |
| manually can be an intimidating task to the new | | | | light, the more clarity and depth will come through the |
| photographer. Most veteran photographers will no | | | | final image. |
| doubt remember the first roll of film they ruined by | | | | For instance, if you were to take a photograph of a |
| reading the light wrong or the photos they missed by | | | | line of dominoes from one end using a low F-Stop |
| having a closed lens cap. A photographer's job is to be | | | | number (an open aperture), you would probably see |
| the conductor of a symphony of moving parts, | | | | one or two dominoes clearly and the background ones |
| influencing each element to make sure the end result is | | | | as blurry. Open apertures create a shallow depth of |
| more than just the sum of the parts. | | | | field. If you were to take the same photo with a high F |
| Without understanding each element of photography, | | | | Stop (a closed aperture), you would see a lot more |
| it's impossible to know how they relate as a whole. So | | | | dominoes down the line. |
| let's begin our trip into the inner-workings of | | | | Fun Experiments with Aperture |
| photographs with one of the most unfamiliar topics: | | | | Playing with the aperture on your camera can be |
| Aperture. | | | | great fun once you have a bearing on what it does. |
| What is Aperture? | | | | Here's a couple of ideas to try the next time you're out |
| Aperture is simply what controls the amount of light | | | | shooting and you want to test it out: |
| exposed on the film or your digital camera's sensor. It | | | | - Take every photograph twice - once at a high |
| can be opened and closed using the F-Stop on your | | | | F-Stop, and once at a low F-Stop. |
| camera, which is usually a ring located around the lens | | | | - Challenge yourself to take an entire roll at one F Stop |
| in between the focus ring and the body of the camera. | | | | and then switch it up. |
| If you've ever looked into someone's eye as light was | | | | - Put your camera on full manual and adjust the |
| shone into it and watched the pupil get smaller, this is | | | | F-Stop on the fly to adjust for light |
| how the aperture works too. | | | | Don't forget to adjust the shutter speed of your |
| Most cameras have an f stop range of 1.7/2.0 to 22 | | | | camera to allow for more or less light (faster speeds |
| with the range of values usually increasing with the | | | | for more light, slower speeds for less), or you may end |
| quality and cost of the camera. You can see your | | | | up with overexposed or underexposed images. Many |
| camera's range by looking at the numbers around your | | | | digital cameras have a fantastic option called "aperture |
| lens. Lower F-Stops are more open and expose the | | | | priority mode" which lets you choose an F Stop and |
| film to more light, while high F-Stops close the aperture | | | | will then adjust the shutter speed automatically. It's |
| and shut the light out. | | | | worth noting that the best types of lighting for |
| How Aperture Can Impact Images | | | | experimenting with aperture are cloudy or overcast |
| Using your F-Stop to purposefully manipulate the | | | | days. When faced with low or bright light, your options |
| camera's aperture will allow you to change the depth | | | | for F Stop values will become limited. |
| of field in your photographs. If you're unfamiliar with the | | | | Of course, the best way to improve your images is to |
| term "depth of field," it describes how much of your | | | | never stop taking pictures. Now it's time to get out |
| photograph is blurry, and how much is sharp. Aperture | | | | there and have fun taking pictures! |
| directly affects the amount of time a frame is | | | | |