Aperture

UND E R STAND ING T H E USE S OF APE R T URE

Recap
Quiz time
Aims and Objectives
Describe why you would need to change the aperture settings.
Identify the effects that different aperture setting have on an
image.
What is Aperture?
What is Aperture?
An opening in a lens that allows light through - Works like the
eye, the pupil opens wide in low light
Settings are measured by f-stops
Blades open and close down
It effects depth of field (DoF) (will discuss further later)
Aperture
Key purposes?
 Key Purposes

Aperture Control the amount of light

entering the camera

Control the DoF

Aperture
and DoF
When do we need to use
our Aperture setting?
What different scenarios can you think of?
What jobs may need to use the aperture settings frequently?
GIVE SOME EXAMPLES
When do we need to use
our Aperture setting?
Primarily when working in low light conditions – wedding church –
Wildlife, dusk and dawn
When you need to have the fastest shutter speed possible – sports
When your shooting portraits – focus on subject, separate them
the from background
Landscape – deep depth of field
When we want to get creative – google search bokeh and select 3
images you like the best
Bokeh
Aperture wide open

Effected by the quality of the

blades

As far out of focus as possible

Used to create artistic

backgrounds
David Yarrow
 JOHN ROONEY 1965 JOHN GAPS 1996

Sports
Summer Olympics
Landscape
ANSEL ADAMS 1942
 Can you name the f-stops?
F-stops?
How much light more light is
captured by moving 1 stop up or 1 stop
down?
In Cinema
S TA N L E Y K U B R I C K B A R RY
LY N D O N ( 1 97 5 )

C A N D L E S C E N E S H OT W I T H
F0.7 LENS BORROWED
F R O M N A S A , U S E D TO
P H OTO G R A P H T H E D A R K
SIDE OF THE MOON
Depth of field in
motion pictures
Cinematic
DoF
Why have the directors
chosen to use a shallow
depth of field?

How did they create it?

https://youtu.be/cY4aCnfrqss
Cinematic
DoF
In pairs, compile notes

Why have the

directors chosen to use a
shallow depth of field?

How did they create it?

Give examples
Cinematic
DoF
SE PAR AT E F R O M
BAC KGR O UND – GUI DE
EYE

HO R R OR - F O C USI NG
C LO SE O N T HE FAC E
R E P R ESENT T HE N AR RO W
VI E W /P E RCEP TI ON O F
T HE I R W O R L D
M AK E T HE I R W O R K LO O K
M O R E P R O F E SSI ONAL

S U P E R C L O SE U P / W I DE
A P E RTURE
Depth of
field
https://vimeo.com/211
017068
Watch through the
video and screenshot 6
differents scenes
3 shots must show a
shallow depth of field
3 shots must showi a
deep depth of field
Let's give it a go
Shoot 5 shots ranging from a very wide aperture f2.8 to a very
small aperture f22 of the same scene.
Put the camera on a tripod
Set camera to Av (aperture priority
Shoot towards your peers sat in their chairs, showing perspective,
(see demo)
Download the images, open in photoshop
 Aperture is used to:
Control DoF
Support in low light conditions
Summary Get creative - bokeh
Guide the viewer's eye – cinema
Create mood - cinema
Homework
Add images to website (photography page) and annotate, describing
how aperture effects the images and identifying the creative and
technical uses within varying scenarios and genres.
Add your examples from today's tasks.

Further reading
https://youtu.be/ZGNUqNFfD8M