By replacing the “f” with the number 1, you’ll notice that these numbers are actually fractions. If you look at a lens, you’ll notice that different apertures are each represented by a number, usually written like f/2.0 or f/4.0. When you change your aperture, you’re simply changing the size of this opening. A larger opening allows more light and a smaller opening reduces the amount of light hitting your sensor. Similar to the iris of your eye, a lens can change the size of the opening to let different amount of light through into the camera. If you’re outside in the sunlight where there is an abundance of light, your iris will contract to reduce the amount of light entering your eye. Your iris (and pupils) expand at night to help capture as much light as possible to help you see better in the dark.
This opening is usually controlled by a mechanism called an iris. Light enters through the front of your camera through an opening in the lens. You can control the amount of light in a couple of different ways and adjusting your aperture is one such method. Exposure is simply the amount of light that hits your camera’s film or sensor to record an image. Everything You Need to Know About Aperture Exposureīefore we talk about aperture, we need to understand a little bit about exposure. We begin our adventure with an explanation of aperture.
So what better way to teach the principles of the photography than by using LEGO to recreate our favorite scenes from Star Wars?Īllow me to answer that. As you master these fundamentals, you should find yourself more well-equipped to discover how exactly you want to express your ideas. And while creativity is a difficult thing to teach, anyone can learn the fundamentals of how a camera works. When you can combine your instincts and creativity with a solid technical understanding of the craft, you will find yourself taking great images more often. Photography is both an art and a science.