Aperture
A space through which light passes in an optical or photographic instrument, especially the variable opening by which light enters a camera.
To gather a better understanding compare aperture to your eye. Basically aperture is a whole in a lens which light travels through into the camera base. The cornea in our eye is like the front part of a lens. It gathers all light and then passes it to the iris. Depending on the amount of light it can make your iris either expand or shrink, and that will control the size of the pupil.The pupil = aperture. The amount of light that enters the retina is limited to the size of the pupil. The larger the pupil the more light will enter the retina and visa versa. In photography aperture is expressed in f-numbers (for example f /2). Now this part can be confusing but with some practice and repetition you will get it down: The smaller the f-number the wider the opening. So f/1.4 is a huge opening and you will get a lot of light in your photo. But if it is super bright out side you would probably want to go for some thing smaller like a f/4 or f/2.8. Now the smaller the f-number the more light you get in but that can also mean your pictures could get blurry so be careful how much light enters you camera by using a stand to keep your camera steady or by simply changing the speed of your shutter. Also the f-stops (official name) can effect how your depth of focus works.
In photography everything is connected so make sure you are paying attention to detail.
Thank you for reading my understanding of aperture.
~ Rachel Underwood
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| An example of aperture & depth of focus. |
