Photography : Aperture

There are 3 key elements in photography you need to know before you can start taking pictures in manual mode with your SLRs. And they are :-

• Aperture
• Shutter Speed
• ISO

And Today I will be talking about Aperture !

Aperture

Aperture refers to the lens diaphragm opening inside a photographic lens, in other words it works like the Iris in the human eye. The bigger the lens diaphragm, the more light enters the camera. 

(This also explains why human tend to close their eye under 

bright sunlight, preventing more light to enter their eye. 

And also why iris grows larger in the dark,which allows human to see in dark spaces)

Aperture size is usually calculated with f-numbers or f-stops, ie f/22, f/16, f/11 and so on. The Larger the aperture is, the smaller the lens diaphragm gets. 

Example.

(Smaller F-numbers stands for bigger lens diaphragm)

(Vice Versa)

It doesn't stops there. Aperture can also create DOF (depth-of-field). In some cases, if having everything sharp ( The object and background ) will make the picture looks better, then a large Aperture/DOF is appropriate. In other cases, small Aperture/DOF may be more effective, emphasizing the object while blurring the background.

Examples.

(Shot at F3.5, focuses on the object while blurring everything else.)

(Shot at F22, everything in the image appears to be sharp.)