Understanding f stop how to#
Understanding f stop series#

Shooting at this wide aperture allows my daughter to be the focus if this photo while the background is out of focus and less distracting. The photo below, of my daughter Allison, was taken using an f-stop of 2.5. These three settings work TOGETHER to create a well shot photo. Once you decide that number, THEN you will change the settings for your shutter speed and ISO. So, if you decide that you want the background to be blurry then you know that you will have to change your f-stop number to 2.8. At narrow apertures (like f11) the whole scene will be in focus, whereas at wide apertures(f2.8) only the bit of the scene that you focus on will be on focus. Making the decision of which setting you use BEFORE you shoot, especially when it comes to the shutter speed and aperture settings will have other aesthetic effects that affect how your picture looks, so knowing how these work together can really make or break your photo.įor instance, aperture also affects the look of the photo, specifically the depth of field. This means that you can open the aperture by a stop or decrease the shutter speed by a stop or even increase the sensitivity by a stop and each one of those steps will all have the same effect they will double the brightness of your photo. The amount of light you record is controlled by the camera’s exposure settings : aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity. Lower f-stop = larger aperture = more light Higher f-stop = smaller aperture = less light It is easier, however, if you think about it using this formula: If you increase the f-stop by one full-stop (going from a ƒ/8 to ƒ/11) only half the amount of light will reach the sensor. I could go on and on about f-stop and exposure, but all you really need to know is that if you decrease the f-stop by one full-stop (meaning you go from a ƒ/8 to ƒ/5.6) then the amount of light that passes through the sensor will double. When someone says “close”, “reduce” or “step down” the aperture, they mean to increase the f-number. However, if it is bright sun outside, shooting at a higher f-stop like 11 will let less light in and will keep your photos from being overexposed. So if you are shooting outside and it is dusk, you will want your f-stop to be 1.4 or 2. The smaller the number=the larger amount of light. Now remember what I said about understanding this concept? This is what I mean. It will let in the most light while the smallest aperture of 32 will let in the least amount of light. In the above f-stops, the largest aperture is 1.4. There is a standard set of f-stops that are used in photography. Although both indicate the same amount of light your camera is letting in, they are a little different in their appearance. For instance, my Canon Xti shows the f-stop as “ ƒ/5.6″ but my mother’s older Canon shows her f-stop as “ 5.6″. Once I figured out the f-stops and how they correlated to light…the rest just seemed to click together!į-stops have a common notation and on each camera it may be a little different. They are a VERY important part of understanding how the aperture and exposure work. F- Stops are mathematical numbers that express the diameter of the aperture and are a relative measure of lightness. The amount of light you let in is measured in what we camera folks call “ stops”. Aperture affects the amount of light you let in, the depth of field, the lens speed, the sharpness and vignetting. One of the most important parts of photography is knowing how the aperture affects the photograph. A large aperture lets through very much light and a small aperture lets in very little light. The aperture sits inside the lens and controls how much light passes through the lens and onto the sensor.

When you take a picture you allow a certain amount of light through the lens, focusing it onto the image sensor. By learning the basic features of your camera, and how all these features work together, you can begin to take control of your picture taking instead of letting the camera dictate how your pictures will be exposed.

Understanding f stop how to#

If you have, or are interested in purchasing, a DSLR camera then these tutorials are a stepping stone on how to begin using your camera’s manual mode.

Understanding f stop series#

This week, we continue the series with a look at f-stops and exposure settings. We started with a lesson on focal length.

Happy Monday everyone! Last month, we began a new series of photography tutorials that will cover the basics of photography.