In some contexts, especially in photography and astronomy, aperture refers to the opening diameter of the aperture stop through which light can pass. For example, in a telescope, the aperture stop is typically the edges of the objective lens or mirror (or of the mount that holds it).
In the video, I’ve discussed what aperture is, how it works, and every effect that aperture has in photography (including a few smaller effects beyond just exposure and depth of field).
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Fortunately, understanding aperture isn’t difficult, especially once you’ve wrapped your mind around a few simple definitions – and in this article, I’m going to take you through all the relevant concepts, including: What aperture actually is (in simple, easy-to-understand terms)
Aperture is measured in f-stops, and they are represented by numbers such as f/2.8, f/5.6 or f/8. The lower the number the larger the opening which allows more light into your lens.
In the context of a camera lens, the aperture is an opening built into the lens that can be made larger or smaller by setting the aperture of a lens to different numbers, which are called...
As you reduce the size of the aperture, aperture blades will become an additional surface for light to bounce back into the lens elements, especially in bright sunlit scenes.
You might have heard a photographer ask, “what’s your aperture?”, or “what aperture are you shooting at”, and the reply would usually be the letter “f” followed by a number.
In essence, aperture controls the amount and intensity of light affecting an image — so it should come as no surprise that gaining an understanding of how, why and when to use aperture can greatly strengthen and boost your photographic techniques.