The aperture of a camera is one of two ways you can limit the amount of light brought into the camera. It’s the physical size of the lens opening. A larger opening will allow more light in, where a smaller one will decrease the amount of light brought into the camera. The aperture also affects the depth of field, or the distance that an object will remain in-focus. A larger opening, will create a shallower depth of field, thus a smaller opening will create a deeper depth of field.

Your depth of field will extend in front of, and behind your in focus subject. Generally, the area of acceptable sharpness is generally longer behind your subject and shorter in front of them.

Using depth of field you can isolate your subject from objects closer and further away than your subject by using a shallow depth of field. And, conversely, have objects brought into more significance by extending the depth of field to include a larger range.

Depth of field is measured in F-stops, and notated in a fractioned relationship, where focal length — noted as “ƒ“— is divided by diameter of the pupil of the lens. Because of this divided relationship, the greater the diameter, the smaller the aperture. Thus an aperture of ƒ1.4 is larger than ƒ16.

Journaled Time: 1 hour – reading, research and taking notes
Total Class Time: 7 hours