What the heck is Aperture anyway?
Aperture is the size of the hole in the camera lens that determines how much light is let in. When the aperture is bigger (or "wider"), more light is let through. The "size of aperture" is your f/stop - it's how you measure how big the hole is. F/stops can be confusing, because the higher the f/stop number is, the less light is let in. (I don't know who made up such a silly rule, but there you have it.)
Along with determining how much light is let in, aperture also controls how much of your image is in focus. A lower f/stop means less of your image will be in focus; a higher f/stop means more of your image will be focus.
The Assignment:
The assignment for this week was to take pictures of a fixed subject using various f/stops to show how the change in f/stop alters a picture.
Naturally, I turned Heidi into my "fixed subject" (she stays like a champ). Below are my images, starting with the widest/lowest f/stop first.
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| f/1.8, 1/800 sec, ISO 200 |
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| f/5.0, 1/100 sec, ISO 200 |
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| f/22, 1/20 sec, ISO 800 |
As you scroll through the pictures you can see that more of the image is in focus as my f/stop gets higher. By the last photo you can clearly see the detailed texture of my concrete patio (and the dirt that's on it too. Hush, it's artistic dirt!). Simply changing the f/stop makes a dramatic difference.
The big thing I learned from this lesson:
To get that blurry background that the pros have, I gotta open up that aperture!
If you did the assignment too, let's see it! Link up below to the specific post on your blog showing off what you did for this week's assignment. You can also share your pictures on my facebook page. Make sure to include a link back here (or a button) somewhere in your blog post so people can see what others have done too.
I'm leaving the linky party open for the duration of the entire 12 weeks so you can link up as you do the lessons on your own.
Coming up next week: ISO & Shutter Speed! The assignment calls for photos taken in your kitchen sink, but don't be afraid to take photos anywhere you can find running water!
I totally need to do this course with you! So far I've only used the automatic settings on my DSLR but I used to use a manual camera like a champ in high school...I need to remember how to do all of this...thanks for sharing this awesome course!
ReplyDeleteI would love it if you did it too Emily! I'd love to see what pictures you get!
ReplyDeleteNow you know my big secret! I shoot almost exclusively wide open -- f1.4 or 1.8 in the house, sometimes up to f2.5 if it's bright enough to accommodate. Heidi looks amazing in those photos, by the way!
ReplyDeleteI agree with loveandleash -- I tend to shoot with a more wide open aperture than a smaller one! My assignment for myself was to close it down a little and practice. What I found: I then need MORE LIGHT!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, how did you get your doggie to stay still for this? Mine would have been all over the place! lol.
ReplyDeleteHeidi is a very cute model! I am so excited to start this course. Hoping to get it done this weekend and post photos on Sunday. Thanks for setting up the linky.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, I'm going to go complete this assignment right now. My camera isn't a dslr or super fancy (talking a $20 investment in it) but I'm hoping learning how to use the manual controls on it will help me learn to take better pictures not only with this camera, but with the nice camera I plan on getting one day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing this ... not only am I a hopeless photographer (something I'm trying to remedy), but Heidi is absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as we get our DSLR back (left it at the in-laws' house) I'm totally doing this course! These are exactly the small bites I need to get my feet wet. Question: Were you changing your shutter speed and ISO too? Or just the f stop (and then were the other two settings automatically adjusting)? It seems strange that the photos get progressively lighter with a higher f stop. I hope that makes sense...
ReplyDeleteAmanda - That'd be great if you did it too!
ReplyDeleteWhen I took these I had my camera on Av mode (aperture priority) so I only changed the aperture manually, the camera did the rest for me. I did have to change my ISO for the last shot though because my shutter speed was so long that I couldn't get a non-blurry photo without it.
I think the second photo is lighter than the first because I was in our backyard where there is a lot coverage from the trees (so the shade is sort of weird and irregular). I know while I was out there the sun kept moving in and out from behind the clouds so that's probably why there's such a big difference too. I know it looks off, but I didn't want to change anything with post-processing because I wanted it to be genuine straight out of the camera. Hope that helps!
I am addicted to the higher aperture for all my photos. The thing I still need to figure out, is the focus. If I'm photographing both of my dogs, one will always be out of focus. I guess I need to widen my aperture, but sometimes it's hard to find that balance.
ReplyDeleteAww, her little eye freckles make her look like she has beautiful eyelashes :o) Loooooove her! Beautiful pics, btw.
ReplyDeletegolly she's such a beautiful dog! thanks for sharing your lessons-- i really want to finally learn how to use my slr!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your lessons. I d/n have a blog and am thinking abt either 1) posting pics on your FB page, or 2) just participating verbally since FB will only allow me to add 1 pic at a time (I believe). Anyhoo. Enjoyed this week's lesson! love your photos as well!
ReplyDeleteLisa
Thanks Lisa! Feel free to post your pictures or participate however you'd like. I'm glad you liked the lesson!
ReplyDeleteI so need this! I found your post thanks to Brown Dog, Hawk and I'm dying to get my camera off the "auto" setting. I'm constantly shooting my dogs for the blog as we travel and I'm looking forward to improving my photos. Thanks so much for this!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to go home and open up my aperture!
ReplyDelete