A Bit About Aperture

     The aperture is the physical opening within your lens that allows light through to the sensor. The size of the opening  is measured In f stops. The largest opening has the smallest number and is 1.8. The smallest opening is f22 and that has the biggest number. It is very confusing!!

When choosing to purchase a lens, try to get the largest opening fstop such as 1.8 or 2.8. This is the better lens,  and it is always more expensive than a medium priced lens that has an fstop of f3.5 – f5.6.

Changing the aperture, the amount of light coming through, does change the way a photograph will look. With a wide opening of your lens such as 2.8, less area is in focus. With a small lens opening such as f16, you have more of the photo in focus. That is called focal length or depth of field. If you want the forefront and background out of focus, use f2.8. If you want the forefront and background to be more in focus, use f8, f11 or f16.

For landscapes, you want to have most everything in focus. Use f11, f16 or on a sunny day, use f22.

A rule of thumb is f8. A great average lens opening (aperture) to use for most photography such as portraits, weddings, and events if f8. That is the middle ground for lenses. This photo was taken at f8.