understanding exposure: aperture

Understanding Exposure

Part 2: Aperture

by Danny Perez Photography

Recap

The exposure is the amount of light received by the film or sensor and is determined by how wide you open the lens diaphragm (aperture) and by how long you keep the film or sensor exposed (shutter speed). The effect an exposure has depends on the sensitivity of the film or sensor.

The Exposure Triangle

It is better to be under exposed than over exposed!

Correct Exposure

✦ Right amount of light

✦ Balance of light and dark

✦ Light meter indicates correct exposure

✦ Combination shutter speed, aperture and ISO

✦ Can be 6 or more combinations

✦ Auto mode yields a “correct exposure”

Consider This...

1. ISO 100 f/4 1/500 sec.

2. ISO 100 f/5.6 1/250 sec.

3. ISO 100 f/8 1/125 sec.

All “correct exposures”

Which is best? It depends...

Creative Exposure

✦ Isolate a subject

✦ Blur your backgrounds

✦ Tell a story

✦ Show action

✦ Freeze action

It’s about finding the right combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO

by macrophile

Focus on Aperture

Using aperture to get creative exposures

What is the Aperture

by Erwin Bolwidt (El Rabbit)

A hole or an opening through which light passes.

Purpose of Aperture

by Beth-Kingery

Control the amount of light reaching the film or image sensor.

Less is More

by Mehmetaergun via Wikimedia Commons

The smaller the f number, the large the openingFull Stops 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45

What does this mean?

I want to take pictures - how do I use this to my advantage?

by Brian Lane Winfield Moore

Amount of Light

In low light a fast lens will allow the lens to gather more light.

Depth of Field

I want to take pictures - how do I use this to my advantage?

by lattiboy

Creative Aperture

✦ Storytelling Apertures

✦ Singular-Theme Aperture

✦ “Who Cares” Aperture

Based on Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure

Storytelling Aperture✦ Sharp focus throughout

✦ A beginning, middle and end

✦ Landscapes

✦ Works best with wide angles

✦ Where to focus

✦ Small aperture f/16, f/22, f/32by E_TAVARES

Singular-Theme Aperture

✦ Isolation of subject

✦ Portraits

✦ Flowers

✦ Telephoto lenses work best

✦ Large apertures f/5.6, f/4, f2.8by Anderson Mancini

“Who Cares” Aperture✦ “f/8 and be there”

✦ Use when depth of field is not a concern

✦ Subjects at same focal distance

✦ Sweet spot on elliptical glass

✦ Critical sharpness and great contrast

✦ f/8 and f/11

by Ian Muttoo

Bokeh

Aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

by Josh Liba

But How?

Turn the dial: aperture priority or manual mode

Demo Time

Let’s try something fun

by msjacoby

Question?

How? What? Where? When? Why?

by e-magic

Stay Tuned

Shutter speed coming up next