STOP using the wrong APERTURE.

Aperture is one of the fundamental parts of photography that every photographer ought to know about. In this video, I break down and explain what aperture is all about, which apertures are the best to use in different situations, how the sharpness of the photo depends on the aperture and what effects you can create with different apertures.

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MUSIC:

0:00 - Intro to aperture
0:47 - Aperture and exposure
2:15 - Aperture and DoF
4:32 - Learn about focusing
4:39 - Aperture and sharpness
7:44 - Aperture and vignetting
9:29 - Avoiding optical mistakes
10:50 - Focus stacking
11:41 - Buying the wrong lens
12:52 - When f/22 is necessary
14:57 - Sun stars and creative decisions
17:11 - No right or wrong
17:25 - Am I afraid?
18:11 - Learn more!

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[alchemist_x]

I think a BIG mistake some folks make is severely overthinking a shot. Not being able to see the forest through the trees, so to speak. I used to worry about focus stacking and hyperfocal distance to try and get the perfect, tack sharp image. So much so, that it made shooting a chore I didn’t enjoy.

Now, I just shoot between f/8 and f/14 and focus somewhere around a third to halfway into the image and I almost always get great results, and I can concentrate on things more important to me than ultimate, clinical sharpness, like composition and light/shadow play. Most importantly I enjoy landscape and cityscape photography a LOT more.

[Chris-ezyt]

Another problem with using f/22 is that if you have any dirt or dust particles on your lens or sensor, a narrow aperature brings them into focus. If you stay wider than f/16 you'll generally never see dirt or dust in your photo.

[williampetersen]

As a nature photography hobbyist for the past four decades, this explanation on aperture is one of the best I've encountered. If I was teaching a class on photography, I would say "Okay, today I'm teaching you everything you need to know about Aperture..." and then show this video. Well done Mads!

[allancowieLM]

Thanks Mads this was a useful video. I still find however photographers needlessly complicate Aperture for beginners by talking about stopping it down or opening up the aperture.A much simpler way is to think of the F stops themselves - Small F stop = small depth of field.Large F stop= large depth of field. No more mental gymnastics 😂

[WMedl]

There is no wrong aperture as such - it all depends on what you want to achieve

[jazzew]

The very first part is SO important to me because I never knew that the f meant fraction!! NEVER! Now I understand why the smaller that number, the more open the hole in the lens. I'm gonna enjoy this video, just had to say that much. 🤩

[paulbonge]

Mads, each time I’ve watched one of your videos I have been so impressed with your clear, concise, and expert explanation of whatever topic you’ve chosen. You are a natural and extremely effective teacher. I’ve been doing this for over 50 years now, and much of what you cover, be it aperture and exposure, composition or whatever, is so internalized in me now that I hardly think about it. That is sometimes, though rare, a hinderance rather than an advantage. Especially when I’m working quickly and may not take the time or have the time to give a particular shot proper attention. Thankfully, for me when I venture out to photograph, the important thing is “Taking Time”. This discipline was ingrained in me by my mentors all those years ago, the likes of Weston, White and Adams, either directly or through several of their students. Minor often visited and was a big influence, however the greatest lesson about taking time and discipline was from my father who said if I wanted to be a photographer then I’d have to begin with one of his smaller sheet film cameras, a tripod and a light meter. NO handheld until I’d made 50 exposures, developed and printed each and though they would likely not be that good, they MUST show that I’d had a purpose when taking each and I didn’t just point the camera at something and CLICK, CLICK, CLICK away to get to 50. I so lusted after just getting to use his 1969 F and running around handheld, but when I finally did, I may have spent an entire day and only taken 4 or 5 exposures. Today I’m ALL digital and love the freedom of not having to think, “God I’m at 34 and only have two more rolls of film which I want to save for something else.”

ALL this being said, the point is that no matter how basic or fundamental the subject you’re presenting, an OLD fart like me enjoys and NEEDS to hear it because it’s like getting a soft re-boot to my hard drive or a v. 2.23 software update. We do those frequently with our cameras, lenses, and post-production programs SO, why not ourselves? Thank You so much for all your enjoyable and informative content! It is always such a pleasure to watch and hear you present it. Tak

[legend.syoung]

Very informative video on aperture most helpfull, great job Mad’s, I learned much :)

[LauraF]

Great video, Mads. Easy to understand and very thorough. You are a wonderful teacher!

[YYYourchoice-uuol]

Don`t know why others don`t show examples to make the point clearer, great job.

[lolabello]

It’s been long I watched a video from start to finish. Definitely needed to see this. Thank you

[diegoramirez]

Never seen a clearer way to explain -and show- how aperture works. Thanks Mads, always looking forward to your weekly videos!

[catalinpastiu]

This is hands down the best review on the subject and one of the best reviews period. Great job!

[adventure_photo]

Great video Mads. One thing that seemed off is your description of aperture as fractions of 1/f-stop. I think that’s incorrect. Aperture is the focal length/f number. I.e., on a 50mm lens, f/4 is 50mm/4, f/8 is 50mm/8 = size of opening(aperture) in mm’s.

[AliasJimWirth]

An excellent tutorial on this subject. One of the best I have ever seen. Clear, concise, and quite polished. Well done, Mads.

[MO-hqiz]

For landscape photography, a wide-angle lens is best to achieve the DoF. Something around 24mm is ideal. This range provides a large depth of field, allowing you to keep both the foreground and background in sharp focus without compromising on a smaller aperture.

[danielborcard]

Thanks Mads for another very usefyl video! This said, it lacks two basics:
1. The f number is what we call in astronomy the F/D ratio, i.e., the focal length divided by the clear aperture of the lens.
2. Why these numbers 2.8, 11, and so on? Basically, all starts with an f1 lens, whose aperture would be equal to its focal length. Now, to divide the amount of entering light by 2, you must divide the lens' surface by 2, i.e. its diameter by the square root of two, which is roughly 1.4. The next halving of light brings you to f2. Then 2 times 1.4 = 2.8. And so on: 4, 5.6, ...

[Calcearius]

Excellent video and explanation of aperture.

One thing I'd add regarding depth of field when it comes to aperture is that focal length and distancing between foreground, background and subject plays a huge part in how pronounced the effect will be. If you're using a 200mm lens you can still achieve a softer background/foreground at F16/F22 where as an ultra wide angle lens may look in focus throughout the image at F5.6

[cmichaelhaugh]

Thanks. Even for those of us who have been doing this for a while it’s always good to go back and review the basics.

[bleuzen]

Yes!!! Thank you for your explanations. Short, direct and no bla, bla, bla. Now I understand.