Aperture & Depth-of-Field: Remember: Aperture is the opening in your lens that controls the quantity of light let into your camera. However, Aperture also controls the Range of Focus in your photographs. This is called the Depth-of-field.

F/Stops: f/2 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22 Biggest Openings………………………..………….……….Smallest Openings Most Light (getting to your film)…………………Least light (getting to your film) Most Shallow D.O.F………………………………...............…Greatest D.O.F. By setting a wide lens aperture (designated by a low f-stop number), you can create a photograph with shallow depth of field. This means that a specific part of the scene will stand out sharply, but most everything else (in front of and behind it) will be out of focus.

Barbara Bosworth. Salmon, Admiralty Island, Alaska, 1994. Here, Bosworth used extremely shallow depth-of-field to transcend the familiar photographic cliché of a fisherman proudly holding his catch. Barbara Bosworth. Salmon, Admiralty Island, Alaska, 1994.

Reebok Advertisement. Here, shallow depth-of-field creates emphasis on the running man. By placing the background out of focus the viewer may momentarily believe the manikins are real.

Aperture Priority: Setting the aperture first will ensure that you will achieve the depth-of-field you intend in your photographs. Then you can use your light meter to adjust your shutter speed to ensure you properly expose your film. Most modern cameras have an Aperture Priority Mode that allows you to set your aperture and then the camera will automatically set your shutter speed.

An example of very shallow depth of field in a macro photograph.

What Else Controls Depth-of-Field? Your distance from the subject and the focal length of your lens also affect the range of focus in your photographs. The closer you are to your subject, the more shallow the depth-of-field.

What Else Controls Depth-of-Field? How does focal length affect depth-of-field? The longer your focal length, the more shallow your depth-of-field. It is usually best to control depth-of-field with your aperture, since changing the distance to your subject and changing the focal length of your lens will also change the composition of your picture.

Nate Terrill

Ben Pruitt

Questions: What is one danger/problem that could occur with Aperture Priority Mode? A shutter speed slower than “30.” What aperture will you set for an extremely shallow depth-of-field? f/2 or f/2.8 Imagine: It is a sunny day. You use your light meter and set your camera to f/16@125. However, you wish to have a shallow depth-of-field in your photograph. What will you need to change? What is the new aperture and shutter speed you will use to properly expose your film? f/2.8 @ 4000 You are shooting a landscape in which you hope to have the foreground and background in sharp focus. You currently have an f/stop of f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 250. What aperture and shutter speed will you need to gain a great depth-of-field and properly expose your film? f/16 @ 30