Digital Imaging

Aperture

Aperture is about how big the opening is on the lens. The bigger the opening the less depth there is in the photo. Similar to how the water coming of a hose doesn’t travel vary far when the opening is wider but when you cover part of the opening with your thumb and make it smaller the water shoots much further.

Wide Aperture

Because of this a wide aperture will make the subject stand out from the background because there will be Boken smoothing out the background while the subject stays sharp. This is great for portraits because it will keep the focus on the person. I also like this when the background is either really distracting or a little bland because it can soften it enough that it is no longer a problem.

Narrow Aperture

When the aperture is narrow there will be a greater depth to what is in focus in the photo. Almost all of the photo can be clear, this can be distracting if there is a lot going on but it will also show off a beautiful landscape and allow a single shot to show everyone at a family reunion.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is how quickly the shutter closes or how long it stays open. This effects how much light is let in and how much detail is in the photo. Too much or too little can both have their negative effects, but when used properly shutter speed can control a desired clarity and detail level.

Fast Shutter Speed

A fast shutter speed will be used a lot for sports or other quick moving photos. When the shutter is only open for a fraction of a second like this it will capture the picture without motion blur. Because the shutter is open for such a short amount of time there either needs to be enough light on the scene to light illuminate the shot or the ISO needs to be adjusted to make sure the sensor pics up enough light to make the photo visible.

Slow Shutter Speed

Slow shutter speed can be beautiful either because of the details it pulls forward or the softness it creates in a picture of motion. If the shutter speed is slow the camera needs to be on a tripod to keep the picture in focus. If you set up a tripod next to running water you can get a picture where everything is in sharp focus but the water is blurred from the movement creating a soft flow of water. A slow shutter speed can also be used for night and low light photography because the shutter is open for long enough to let so much more detail in, this is how you get a picture of a star-filled night sky. Light does need to be carefully considered when using a slow shutter speed because even a low light level can overexpose the picture when the shutter speed is open for so long. That is why people use light painting.

Light Painting

Light painting is a way of making specific spots brighter and stand out in a dark picture taken with a long shutter speed. This can either be on a landscape at night or set up in a studio. To create a light painting you set a long shutter speed in the dark environment then while the shutter is open you shine light on what you want to stand out in the photo for just a second then move to shine light on the next thing. This is how a picture of the night sky can show both stars and the tree line even though they both need very different light levels to show up on camera.