Aperture Explained for Beginners
What is Aperture?
Aperture is like the eye of the camera. It controls how much light enters the lens.
Smaller numbers like f/1.8 mean the hole is wide open, letting in more light. Larger numbers like f/16 mean
the hole is small, letting in less light.
f/1.2 - f/2.0 (Very Wide)
f/1.2 - f/2.0 (Very Wide)
- Like a big open eye at night.
- Lets in a lot of light - good for dark places.
- Makes background very blurry - perfect for portraits.
f/2.8 - f/4.0 (Wide)
f/2.8 - f/4.0 (Wide)
- Still bright, works day or night.
- Slight background blur but more details are clear.
- Great for people and street photos.
f/5.6 - f/8.0 (Medium)
f/5.6 - f/8.0 (Medium)
- Good for daylight.
- Less background blur - more is in focus.
- Best for group photos or buildings.
f/11 - f/16 (Narrow)
f/11 - f/16 (Narrow)
- Best for very bright light.
- Everything from front to back is sharp.
- Great for landscapes and wide scenes.
Aperture Explained for Beginners
f/22 (Very Narrow)
f/22 (Very Narrow)
- Very little light enters.
- Everything is super sharp.
- Used in strong sunlight or with a tripod.
Quick Tips
Summary Tip:
- Small f-number = Big hole = More light = Blurry background.
- Big f-number = Small hole = Less light = Everything in focus.
Example Situations
Example Chart:
| Situation | Use f/stop | Reason |
|----------------------------------|--------------|--------------------------------|
| One person photo, blur background | f/1.8 - f/2.8 | Focus only on the person |
| Group or full-body shot | f/5.6 - f/8 | Keep everyone sharp |
| Landscape or mountain photo | f/11 - f/16 | Everything sharp and detailed |
| Low light or night photography | f/1.8 - f/2.0 | Let in more light |
| Sunny day | f/8 - f/16 | Avoid overexposure |
