![small vs big aperture small vs big aperture](http://www.facethelight.com/img/apcompare.jpg)
While ISO and aperture are both related to light in photography, they’re not the same thing. This is a very common question for newbie photographers and it’s important to clear things up. Shutter priority mode comes in handy when working with moving subjects, as it makes it easier to freeze subjects or slow movement down in an image. In this mode, users choose a speed for their shutter that works for them and their camera automatically picks an aperture that matches. As the name suggests, this setting gives users control over their shutter settings. While we’re on the subject, another camera setting that’s worth diving into is shutter priority mode. Use this mode whenever you want more control over the depth of field for your image. Users choose the aperture setting they want and let their camera automatically set an appropriate shutter speed and ISO.Īperture priority mode is great as it stops the speed of your shutter from interfering with your desired outcome for your shot. Aperture Priority ModeĪperture priority mode is a setting on most digital cameras that keeps your aperture and shutter speed settings in sync. One great way to do this, is to use aperture priority mode. They both influence your available light when shooting, so you’ll need to get to grips with both. In order to make sure you’re using a setup that’s right for your subject, it’s important to make sure that both your shutter speed and aperture are working together in the way you want them to. The longer your shutter remains open, the more light that enters your system when shooting. Shutter speed is another camera setting that affects the amount of light that enters your lens. The image below is a shallow depth of field, as the area in focus is quite narrow, and the background is blurry. A large aperture creates a shallow depth of field and a small aperture makes your available depth of field deeper. The converse is true with a deep depth of field.Īs aperture determines the inflow of light, changing it also changes the depth of field you have available. A shallow depth of field gives photographers a much smaller area to work with when shooting. Once your subject has left this area, it will lose focus and become blurry. Depth of Fieldĭepth of field is the area in which your subject will remain sharp. There are more complex, accurate definitions of what ‘f stop’ means but as a beginner, the important thing to remember is that when you’re adjusting aperture, you’re changing to a different f stop.Īperture is directly related to two other photography terms – depth of field and shutter speed. You might set your aperture to an f stop of f/4.0, for example. The term ‘f stops’, or f number, refers to the number given by your camera when you adjust the aperture. The amount of light you let in when shooting determines how ‘sharp’ your final image will look. A small aperture lets in less light, while a larger aperture makes for much brighter photos. In short, the aperture setting you choose determines the amount of light that enters your lens.