The Basics of Aperture - Updated

Below I am going to try and explain the basics on how Aperture works. This is not easy to understand as you would think a higher f/stop number would give you a bigger lens opening while a lower number  would give you a smaller lens opening. This is not the case.

TIP: the higher the f/stop number = the smaller the lens opening = smaller aperture

        the lower the f/stop number  = the bigger the lens opening  = larger aperture

Try and use a small aperture like f/16 (small lens opening) if you want as much as possible of the image to be in focus. Then try and use a large aperture like f/2.8 (bigger lens opening) to only have your main subject in focus. 

For instance if you shoot landscapes you want to use a higher f-stop number (smaller aperture) as you want to get more of the picture in focus. If you only want your subject in focus and to blur the backgound then a large aperture like f1.4 - F2.8 would give you that result. 

The in between apertures like f/5.6 - f/8 is good for general uses as it produces an average depth of field.

In the diagram below you can see the difference between a high f/stop number and and low f/stop number.

If you have any questions about this subject let us know and we can try and explain in more detail.

Have fun...

Spot Metering

This is a quick post for those who always wonder when to use spot metering. I have been shooting for a while and never really use spot metering so the other day I was shooting photos of the little one with the sun at her back and I found that with all the other metering modes I could not get enough light on her face to make the photo worth while. So after some reading that night I found that using spot metering will help with this. 

I was lucky to be able to test this the next day as we had sun again. I shot some photos with the sun on her back in evaluative metering and her face was dark as it's trying to meter the whole area and not just under her hat. Then I switched to spot metering and bam her face was nicely exposed. 

So next time you shoot a subject where you only need to meter on a small area try spot metering. Also where you will use spot metering more is with moving wildlife where you want to only expose the animal, for example flying birds or running deer.

Try it out. 

Posted by André