

So, f-stops are a way of describing the size of the aperture for a particular photo. For example, the Nikon camera below is set to an aperture of f/8: Aperture is labeled in f-numbers, and in this case, I’m using f/8. Some cameras omit the slash and write f-stops like this: f2, f3.5, f8, and so on. On your LCD screen or viewfinder, your aperture will usually look something like this: f/2, f/3.5, f/8, and so on.

Most likely, you have noticed aperture written this way on your camera before. However, it can also be expressed as a number known as “f-number” or “ f-stop”, with the letter “f” appearing before the number, such as f/8. So far, we have only discussed aperture in general terms like large and small. This is what using large vs small aperture does to photographs. Meanwhile, the photo on the right has everything from front to back appearing in focus. (These points are also covered further down in this article.)Ī comparison of two images shot using large vs small aperturesĪs you can see, in the photograph on the left, only the head of the lizard appears in focus and sharp, while the background and foreground are both transitioning into blur. In the video, we go through what aperture is, how it works, and every effect that aperture has in photography. If you prefer to understand how aperture works visually, we put together a video for you that goes through most of the basics. On top of that, the aperture you choose also alters the exposure of your images by making them brighter or darker. Landscape photographers use this effect a lot. This is very popular for portrait photography.Īt the other extreme, it will give you sharp photos from the nearby foreground to the distant horizon. At one extreme, aperture gives you a blurred background with a beautiful shallow focus effect. The image below shows an aperture in a lens:Īperture is like the “pupil” for your camera system, which can open and close to change the amount of light that passes through. Note the nine blades in this lens, which form a diaphragm to block any light that tries to pass, except through the center.Īperture can add dimension to your photos by controlling depth of field. You can shrink or enlarge the size of the aperture to allow more or less light to reach your camera sensor. In photography, the “pupil” of your lens is called aperture. As you move between bright and dark environments, the iris in your eyes either expands or shrinks, controlling the size of your pupil. It is an easy concept to understand if you just think about how your eyes work. Everything Aperture Does to Your PhotosĪperture can be defined as the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera.
