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Using Aperture in Landscape Photography

Aperture, along with shutter speed and ISO, plays a crucial role in nature and landscape photography. Simply put, it is the hole inside the camera’s lens. That hole opens to allow light to enter and travel to the camera’s sensor.  The size of the hole changes in diameter to let it more or less light.  The larger the opening, the more light enters the camera.  Less light enters the camera when the opening is smaller.  The camera aperture is shown with the letter “f” along with a number, such as f/2.8 or f/22.  Creatively, the camera aperture controls depth of field (DOF), which is the distance around a focus point that is sharp.

In photography, the size of the opening is known as a f-number.  The f-number is the ratio of the focal length to the effective aperture diameter.  A camera lens typically has a set of marked “f-stops” where the photographer can choose the f-number. Thus, it is quite common for photographers to use f-number and f-stop interchangeably.  These f-numbers are the mathematical results of doubling light or reducing light by half.  Every change between the standardized f-numbers represents a change of one stop of light.  Since the calculations are using square roots and powers, the f-numbers are counterintuitive to the size of the opening.  A low f-number (f/2.8) means a big aperture, wide opening. A high f-number (f/22) means a small aperture, small opening.

To put it all together, the opening becomes smaller when moving from f/4 to f/5.6.  It is reducing the light entering the camera by half. Similarly, the opening becomes larger when moving from f/8 to f/5.6.  It is increasing the light entering the camera by doubling it.  Photographers use the terminology of “shooting wider” or “opening-up” to mean using a smaller f-number.  Opening-up will let more light enter the camera.  Similarly, photographers will use “closing-down” or “stopping down” to signify using a larger f-number. Stopping down will let in less light.

Aperture plays a critical role in composition and creating an image. This is because it determines the amount of light entering the camera which in turn has a direct impact on the depth of field (DOF).  The depth of field is the distance around the focus point that is sharp. Recall from above, a low f-number means a big aperture. A high f-number means a small aperture. When the aperture is wide, meaning a wide opening and small f-stop (e.g. f/4), then the depth of field is shallow. There is not much around the actual plane of focus which will be in focus.  When the aperture is small, meaning closed down with a large f-stop (e.g. f/22), the depth of field is long. This means that a lot of the distance around the focus point is sharp or much of the photograph is in focus.

Aperture priority, also known as AV mode, is a semi-automatic shooting mode available in most cameras. It allows the photographer to select a desired aperture setting and let the camera set the shutter speed (and sometimes even the ISO) for the correct exposure.  Creatively, by setting the aperture, the photographer can choose how much of the composition will be blurred or if the entire composition should be in focus. Thus, understanding how to effective utlitze aperture is a pivotal tool in nature and landscape photography.

Tag Archive for: Aperture

Cover for nature photography blog post about aperture and depth of field by Varina Patel.

How to Select Correct Depth of Field in Nature Photography

December 20, 2021
Getting depth of field in nature photography can be quite challenging. Here are some invaluable tips from Varina Patel.
Creative nature photography with narrow aperture from Iceland by Jay Patel

How to use Aperture Setting for Creative Nature Photography

January 18, 2021
Pro photographer Jay Patel share highly effective insights on how to leverage your camera's aperture setting for creative nature photography.
Cover for nature photography blog post about shutter speed and aperture by Jane Palmer

How to choose Shutter Speed & Aperture for Nature Photography

May 29, 2020
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2 Comments
Pro photographer Jane Palmer explains how to choose shutter speed and aperture for nature photography to produce desired visual effects.
Cover for beginners guide to Aperture in Landscape Photography

A Beginners Guide to Aperture in Landscape Photography

October 23, 2019
Understand why aperture is one of the essential and arguably the most critical camera settings for beginners to understand in landscape photography.
Cover for Landscape Photography blog about Shallow DOF by Jaclyn TanemuaJaclyn Tanemura

5 Reasons to use shallow DOF in Landscape Photography

September 4, 2019
Jaclyn Tanemura writes about why you should try shallow DOF (depth of field) in your landscape photography - and how to make it happen.
Focus Stacking to Increase Depth of Field Blog Post by Josh Cripps

How to overcome Depth of Field Limitations in Nature Photography

November 6, 2017
Josh Cripps shares 4 simple but effective techniques to around the problem of not enough depth of field in our landscape photos.
Aperture Settings for Landscape Photography Blog Post

What Aperture should I use for Nature Photography?

June 1, 2017
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4 Comments
Having trouble deciding what Aperture to shoot for? Here are few tips from pro photographer Clint Burkinshaw.
Narrow Depth of Field Landscape Photography Blog Post by Sarah Marino

Getting Started with Narrow Depth of Field Photography

January 25, 2017
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4 Comments
Learn how to get started with narrow depth of field photography, a technique to take your photos of subjects in nature into a new realm of creativity.

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