What is Aperture?
We often hear about "aperture priority mode," using a large aperture for better blurring in portrait photography, and how aperture affects exposure, and so on. Aperture refers to the opening size in a camera lens that controls the amount of light passing through. It is represented by the f-value, where a smaller f-value means a larger aperture, and a larger f-value means a smaller aperture.
It affects depth of field.
Depth of field, also known as focus range, refers to the range of objects in focus. A shallow depth of field means only a small portion is in focus, while a deep depth of field means most of the scene is in focus. Generally, a large aperture is used in portrait mode to create a shallow depth of field, where only the subject is in focus while the background and foreground are blurred. In landscape photography, a small aperture is used to achieve a deep depth of field, where everything is in focus.
Why?
Light passes through the lens and forms an inverted image, and the size of the aperture affects its distribution. A large aperture allows more light to pass through, while a small aperture restricts the amount of light.
It also affects the amount of light entering.
It affects the exposure time, where a large aperture shortens the exposure time, and a small aperture lengthens it. If the exposure time cannot be further extended, the ISO sensitivity needs to be increased, which can introduce noise.
Summary:
- Portrait photography usually uses aperture priority mode and a large aperture to highlight the subject and blur the foreground and background.
- In aperture priority mode, after adjusting the aperture, the camera automatically adjusts the exposure time and ISO sensitivity.
Reference:
https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/tw/article/zh_tw/camera-basics-1-aperture