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Saturday, September 28, 2013

50th Post and 6 Month Blogoversary!

This post marks the 50th post since launching the Boost Your Photography blog just over six months ago. In honor of this accomplishment, here is a look back at the top 5 posts so far, based on overall page views. Did we miss your favorite post?  Let us know in the comments!

Number Five ... Travel: What's Your Sign?

Signs can warn you of many dangers. This collection includes warning signs about glaciers in New Zealand, cliff edges in Yellowstone National Park, and electric train rails in Germany.
This was the inaugural live post back on March 27th, 2013, and it's popularity likely reflects many of the first initial visitors to Boost Your Photography (thank you!). But then again, who doesn't love photographs of awesome warning signs with falling rocks and ice and ... ?

Number Four ... Light Painting: how to spin an orb

The aliens have landed ... and they are spinning themselves in circles!
This is one of my favorite photography tricks, and I love how with a just a little bit of plastic and a $7 LED you can generate such fantastic and surreal results. I was also grateful that no one came home and was using our apartment garage when I was down there filming my 'how to' instruction shots ... because believe me, you haven't experienced awkward until you are standing alone spinning a flashing keychain in an empty garage, pointing a tripod at yourself. But I think the final visual was really helpful in trying to explain the process. You be the judge.

All four of me concentrate on spinning a perfect orb.

Number Three ... Photography Inspiration: Found Book Poetry

A world of wonders
A swiftly tilting planet.
Every living thing,
Joyful noise.
Absolutely normal chaos:
You come, too.
This is such a simple but immediately addictive idea. Gather a stack of favorite books (or just some with potential humorous or insightful titles). Arrange thoughtfully. Photograph. Presto! Instant poetry. I had so much fun with this and all the titles in my classroom library. This post also got picked up on a few art and poetry-related blogs including my super-creative colleague's Art is Basic blog and a mention on Honeybee Lane. A little cross-creative-pollination.

Number Two ... How to Shoot the Moon with the Photographers' Ephemeris

Moonrise over Madison by Archaeofrog. Available for purchase.
The full moon is a delightful subject to shoot but after my first few attempts I realized suddenly that I wanted more. I loved seeing the moon rise and reflect above our local lakes, but I wanted more than a moon rising above nondescript trees. I wanted the skyline.

Enter the Photographers' Ephemeris. This wonderful program (free for desktops but costs for the portable app) allows you to visualize moon rise, moon set, sun rise, and sun set from the location and date of your choice. Knowing I wanted to get the moon over downtown, I could figure out exactly where I needed to stand across the lake to make that happen. Endless possibilities.

And finally, without further ado, I present the number one blog post of the first six months ...

Number One ... Spinning Fire with Steel Wool Photography

Steel Wool Photography - bring your friends (and a bucket of water, just in case)
Nothing else says dedication to photography and getting the shot than tromping off through the woods with a backpack full of steel wool and some wire whisks. The results are just spectacular, and it's a great communal activity if you can wrangle some fearless friends or fellow photographers to join you.

As a special treat, here's a bonus image from a follow-up steel wool photoshoot that uses an enclosed area to really show off how sparks can bounce.

Constrained Steel Wool Photography
And finally, what's a celebration without a few fireworks?  And, in honor of the most-read post, why not also confine them for fantastic results?

Happy 50th Post and 6 Month Anniversary!

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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Middle Range Apertures: f/8 - f/11

The first article in this series on aperture is called Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum. I think it is helpful to think of basically three divisions of aperture values: the wide apertures, the 'who cares' apertures, and the narrow apertures. The wide apertures cover the range from f/1.8 to f/5.6. These are the values chosen for a narrow depth of field or a fast shutter speed. The narrow apertures cover the range from f/16 to f/22. These are the values chosen for a wide depth of field or a slower shutter speed. (There are actually further values for aperture, such as f/1.2 or f/32, but you generally need fairly expensive lenses to have these as options.) The 'who cares' apertures in the middle include f/8 and f/11.

What an Aperture of F/8-11 Can Do for You | Boost Your Photography
Prairie Sky by Archaeofrog. Available for purchase.

These bullet points summarize the main points about the two opposite ends of the spectrum:
  • F/1.8: A larger aperture value (larger fraction) = a wider opening = more light coming in = shallower depth of field (much less in focus) and a faster relative shutter speed
  • F/22: A small aperture value (smaller fraction) = a narrower opening = less light coming in = a wider depth of field (much more in focus) and a slower relative shutter speed
Bryan Peterson coined the term 'who cares' apertures for f/8 and f/11 in his well-known book, Understanding Exposure, which I highly recommend if you are looking for an in-depth treatment of exposure in photography. The descriptions are geared towards beginning photographers looking to advance, and I found it a very helpful guide when starting out.

Comparison of the three aperture divisions: f/1.8, f/11, and f/22. Click to view larger on Flickr.

These two apertures, f/8 and f/11, are essentially the 'Goldilocks' of aperture values: not too hot, not too cold, but just right. They provide a middle option to balance a reasonably wide depth of field with a reasonable shutter speed. If you are not looking to do something specific that requires a wide or a narrow aperture, then you should feel fairly confident selecting one of these aperture values for your shot.

What F/8 and F/11 Can Do for You

F/8 and F/11 are the work horse apertures. If you often shoot on program or auto mode on your camera, you may notice that you camera tends to 'suggest' these values often, particularly if you are shooting outside on a sunny day.

Ice Flows on Lake Superior by Archaeofrog on Flickr

These 'who cares' apertures can be used successfully for landscape photography when the sharp precision of f/22 is not required. This image above, of floating ice in Lake Superior, was shot at f/9, 1/200th of a second, and ISO 100. The relatively quick shutter speed allowed me to handhold the shot without worrying about camera shake, and the f/9 aperture gave me a wide enough depth of field (area in focus) to capture both the foreground and background.

Clouds over Mammoth Hot Springs by Archaeofrog. Available for purchase.

F/8 and F/11 work well for landscape scenes where there is not a significant distance between the foreground, middle ground, and background. A wide angle scene with giant rocks in the foreground, a beautiful lake in the middle ground, and majestic mountains in the background may very well require a narrow aperture like f/22 in order to extend the depth of field across the entire scene. Other landscape scenes, however, are not likely to be so vast. In the photograph from Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone National Park the entire image is in focus with an aperture of f/10 (and a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second and ISO 100). Spend some time experimenting with both middle range and narrow apertures in landscapes to see which situations require f/22 and which might not.

Burrs Up Close by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Mid-range apertures are useful choice in macro or close-up photography. One common difficulty in close-up photography is the fact that the closer you get to your subject, the narrower your effective depth of field becomes. Using a wide aperture like f/1.8 can result in a nearly paper-thin plane of focus, and even a narrow aperture like f/22 might not cover the entire subject. In the image above, these burrs were photographed at f/8, 1/125th of a second, ISO 100 using a +10 close-up filter. The f/8 aperture provides a reasonable depth of field through the image but also provides some interesting background blur and a nondescript background. (Read more about close-up filters here.)



Panning is a camera technique where you intentionally move the camera to keep a moving subject looking still and in-focus, while the background blur provides the cues about the motion. This shot was taken at f/9 and a shutter speed of 1/8th of a second. I chose a middle range aperture in this situation in order to obtain a longer, slower shutter speed that would give substantial blur to the image. For more details about panning, read the full article on Panning in Photography.

Full Moon Rise with Jupiter by Archaeofrog on Flickr

These middle apertures are also useful when photographing the moon. Depending on the ambient lighting, you can use an aperture between f/8 and f/11 to keep a sharp focus across the surface of the moon. The image above, showing the moon rising with the planet Jupiter just off to the right, was shot at f/10, 0.6 seconds, and ISO 100. While the moon and Jupiter are in focus, however, the branches in the foreground are not.

Crescent Moon in the Shadows by Archaeofrog on Flickr
Even with a crescent moon, I have found better results when using an aperture around f/8-11 than when using a wider value (which would let in more light but have a narrower depth of field). The image above was shot at f/10, 0.3 seconds, and ISO 100. Since the surrounding trees do not overlap the moon here, their out-of-focus nature is less noticeable. (Looking to photograph the moon and want the best angle? Read how to Shoot the Moon with the Photographer’s Ephemeris.)

Summary of the Middle Range Apertures

Aperture can seem like a confusing topic, particularly when people forget that the nomenclature refers to fractions, so that a wider aperture has a larger fraction (1/1.8 = 0.555) but a smaller denominator (1.8) when compared to a narrower aperture that has a smaller fraction (1/22 = 0.045) but a larger denominator (22). Knowing when you need a certain aperture and when you can simply rely on a 'who cares' middle range aperture, can help take the stress and mystery out of choosing the correct aperture for a given situation and subject.

Crepuscular Rays by Archaeofrog on Flickr. F/9, 1/640th, and ISO 100.

Have you read up on Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum? The previous articles in this series covered What an Aperture of F/1.8 Can Do for You, and What an Aperture of F/22 Can Do for You.

Want more posts geared toward beginners? Click 'For Beginners' up at the top or try the rest of our series, Camera Settings and Strategies:




Want to learn more? Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now available from Amazon. Get the most out of your camera with practical advice about the technical and creative aspects of DSLR photography that will have you taking beautiful pictures right away.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Easy Camera Upgrade: Get a Remote Shutter Release

Everyone likes a quick and easy photography upgrade, and particularly one that is cheap, easy to use, and makes an immediate impact on your photography. A remote shutter release fits the bill.

This silky water photograph was shot with a corded remote shutter release.

There are many different varieties of remote shutter releases, but let's start with the most common. A corded remote shutter release plugs directly into a slot in your camera body and allows you to operate your camera's shutter. The basic version of this style of remote can be had for less than $6 USD. The one shown below is a generic brand that works with Canon Rebel cameras. There is also a version that works with Nikon cameras. This SMDV remote for $15 works with more advanced Canon cameras. The remote works just like your shutter button: pressing the button halfway will lock the focus, while pressing the button down completely will take the picture.

The final feature of this style of remote is the ability to lock down the button on the remote. This is useful in two ways. First, you can use the shutter with your camera in the ‘Bulb’ setting, and locking the button down allows you to shoot for an indefinitely long shutter speed until you unlock the button. Second, when the shutter is locked down, your camera will continue to shoot photographs, which is useful if you want to shoot a continuous series of photographs.

There are many different kinds of remote shutter releases. More advanced corded models allow you to shoot in specific intervals (amount of time between taking pictures) or specific numbers of photographs at a time. Cordless remotes allow you to trigger your camera from further away using either infrared (IR) or radio frequencies (RF). IR remotes may require a clear line-of-sight to the camera to work effectively. (If you are using an IR cordless remote while standing behind your camera, you may have to reach over in front of the camera and avoid getting your own hand in front of your lens. Some cameras have sensors in the rear as well to solve this problem.) Advanced cordless models like the Vello Wireless ShutterBoss utilize RF technology to trigger the camera with a range of 250 feet and no need for line-of-sight.

There are benefits to each step-up in terms of features and price, but if you are simply purchasing your first remote, I strongly recommend getting a cheap corded remote and worrying about upgrading later. (Full disclosure, I used to have an inexpensive IR cordless remote and found it so unreliable that I simply stopped using it and use my $5 corded remote for everything.)

Why Use a Remote Shutter Release?

If the low price alone wasn't enough of a reason, there are many uses for a remote shutter release. The most common use is in combination with a tripod to ensure stability and minimize camera shake. When you depress the shutter button on your camera, the motion of that action can shake the camera. If you want tack sharp pictures and are using a tripod for stability, then you also will want to use a remote shutter release to trigger the camera and avoid the possible shake from physically pushing the shutter button. (Learn more about how to Maximize your Tripod.)

Long exposure shot of a Ferris Wheel and YoYo swings

This long exposure carnival shot was taken with a tripod and a remote shutter release at f/13, 5-seconds, and ISO 100. I knew that I would need a tripod for the long shutter speed, and I used the remote to avoid transmitting any shake to the image. (Read about Long Exposure Photography at the Fair(e) for more on shooting this kind of shot.)

A remote shutter release was used to focus and then take this photograph. 

A remote shutter release also helps when taking 'selfies' or self-portrait shots. Focusing can be difficult when you are putting yourself in front of the camera, but a remote shutter release allows you to focus the camera while you are already positioned in front of it. For the self-portrait above, I used the corded remote release pictured earlier to focus and take the picture. I also used a 10-second timer setting on the camera, which gave me enough time to let go of the remote and keep it out of the photograph. (Read more about Shooting a Successful Self-Portrait.)

Sunflowers in the Storm, available for purchase

I shot this field of sunflowers using a tripod and a corded remote shutter release, because I knew that I wanted sharp, focused pictures and wanted the flexibility of using longer shutter speeds than I could handhold without adding movement. The tripod also allowed me to shoot a bracketed series of shots and determine my favorite exposure later. (For more on exposure bracketing, read All about Exposure and More about Exposure: how to fix common exposure problems.) This individual image was shot at f/11, 1/160, ISO 100 and was one full stop underexposed (-1 on the exposure compensation scale).

Three bracketed exposures compared

These are the three images returned by using exposure bracketing (from left to right, 0 exposure compensation, -1, and +1). The tripod combined with the remote ensures that all three images are composed exactly the same. I simply had to hold down the remote until I heard the shutter click all three times and then release.

Series of photographs shot with the remote's shutter locked down

A remote shutter release also allows you to lock the button down and take a continuous series of photographs. This feature comes in handy when you are shooting a rapidly changing situation and want to be constantly shooting and not changing your settings. The series of photographs above were shot at f/5, 30-seconds, and ISO 400. After dialing in these settings in manual, I used the remote in the locked down position to continually take pictures. This gave me the freedom to get out my LEDs and get into the picture myself. (I am responsible for the blue and red lights. You can read more about light painting and how to spin an orb here.) With the shutter safely locked down, I knew that the camera would keep taking pictures as long as I needed.

A remote shutter release is a cheap and easy photography upgrade. For the cost of a cup or two of coffee, you can get a corded remote and access to all kinds of new photography opportunities. See if it doesn't change how you shoot landscapes, self-portraits, long shutter speed images, and more!


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

What an Aperture of F/22 Can Do for You

The first article in this series on aperture is called Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum. When I was first starting out in photography, I found it much easier to wrap my head around aperture by thinking about what each aperture category could do for me than in trying to parse out all of the values and variables and terminology. So I wanted to organize this series of posts around three divisions of the aperture range and the benefits and limitations of each. This post will focus on the narrow end of the aperture spectrum, in the range of f/18 – f/22. The other two posts about specific apertures include the wide-open end of the aperture spectrum, in the range of f/1.2 – f/5.6 and the middle of the aperture spectrum, in the range of f/8 – f/11.

These bullet points summarize the main points about the two opposite ends of the spectrum:
  • F/1.8: A larger aperture value (larger fraction) = a wider opening = more light coming in = shallower depth of field (much less in focus) and a faster relative shutter speed
  • F/22: A small aperture value (smaller fraction) = a narrower opening = less light coming in = a wider depth of field (much more in focus) and a slower relative shutter speed
Castle Geyser at Yellowstone National Park by Archaeofrog
This image is available for purchase and is featured with other national park metal prints.

What You Can Do with a Narrow Aperture

Narrow apertures are prized for their ability to render much (or all) of a photograph in focus. F/22 can be considered the landscape photographers’ aperture, as landscape photographers often employ a large depth of field to keep everything in the image, front-to-back, in focus.

What an Aperture of F/22 Can Do for You | Boost Your Photography

In this image, the f/22 aperture extends the depth of field (area in focus) from the flowing water in the foreground through the reflection pond in the middle and all the way to the structure in the background. The shutter speed of 1/40 allowed me to hand-hold the camera for this particular shot, but because f/22 lets in much less light, many landscape photographers use a tripod to stabilize the camera and to support the longer shutter speed necessary. (Read how to Maximize Your Tripod.)

Read how to get this image in the post Long Exposure Photography at the Fair(e)

F/22 is also useful in situations where you want a longer shutter speed. Moving the aperture towards f/22 (narrower apertures, smaller fractions) lets in relatively less light and requires relatively longer shutter speeds. For the carnival ride shot above, I knew that I wanted a long shutter speed to maximize the amount of blur and lights captured. This shot was taken at f/22 and a shutter speed of 5 seconds (along with a tripod and remote release).

Slow-Motion Silky Water by Archaeofrog on Flickr

F/22 and slower, longer shutter speeds are also used to make the oft-admired 'silky water' shots, like the image above. A long shutter speed creates the long, slow blur in the water. This image was shot at f/22 with a shutter speed of 0.8 seconds. The high speed of the water helped create the blur in that fairly short shutter time.

Sunglasses Waterfall by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Many photographers use additional accessories to create an even longer shutter speed with flowing water. A circular polarizer or a neutral density filter on the front of the lens further cuts down on the light reaching the sensor and requires an even longer shutter speed to balance the narrow f/22 aperture. As an example, in the image above I used my sunglasses to simulate a polarizer and achieve a slower shutter speed (1/4 th of a second).

Sparkle by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Another creative use of the f/22 aperture is the creation of sun flares, like in the image above. At f/22, point sources of light become these bright, multi-pointed stars. While the sun is usually too overwhelmingly bright for this effect, you can use sunlight filtering through an obstruction, like leaves or trees to create a point source. This effect also works well on smaller sources of light, like street lights along a darkened street. (Look carefully in the carnival shot below and you can see the sun flare star effect on the back street light.)

Traffic Trails by Archaeofrog on Flickr

The long shutter speed of f/22 works well for shots with light trails created by moving traffic. The shot above used a shutter of 15 seconds and a tripod. Both the red and green street lights are visible over the time of the exposure and have been rendered as star bursts. The cars stopped at the light are visible at the stoplight because they were stationary for the majority of the exposure, while the other cars appear only as their headlights and taillights.

Summary of Narrow Apertures, like F/22

The narrow end of the aperture spectrum, from roughly f/18-f/22 and beyond, is great for getting large swaths of your photograph sharp and in focus. The narrow apertures should be your go-to values for when you want a long exposure, an in-focus landscape or subject, or to create a sun flare effect. Spend some time exploring these apertures and see what works for you!

Christmas F/22 by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Have you read up on Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum? The previous article in this series covered What an Aperture of F/1.8 Can Do for You, and the last article explains the Middle Range of Apertures: F/8-11.

Want more posts geared toward beginners? Click 'For Beginners' up at the top or try the rest of our series, Camera Settings and Strategies:




Want to learn more? Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now available from Amazon. Get the most out of your camera with practical advice about the technical and creative aspects of DSLR photography that will have you taking beautiful pictures right away.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

What an Aperture of F/1.8 Can Do for You

What an Aperture of F/1.8 Can Do for You | Boost Your Photography

The first article in this series on aperture is called Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum. When I was first starting out in photography, I found it much easier to wrap my head around aperture by thinking about what each aperture category could do for me than in trying to parse out all of the values and variables and terminology. So I wanted to organize this series of posts around three divisions of the aperture range and the benefits and limitations of each. This post will focus specifically on the wide-open end of the aperture spectrum, in the range of f/1.2 – f/5.6. The next two posts in this series will cover the narrow-end of the aperture spectrum, in the range of f/18 – f/22, and then the middle of the aperture spectrum, in the range of f/8 – f/11.

These bullet points summarize the main points about the two opposite ends of the spectrum:
  • F/1.8: A larger aperture value (larger fraction) = a wider opening = more light coming in = shallower depth of field (much less in focus) and a faster relative shutter speed
  • F/22: A small aperture value (smaller fraction) = a narrower opening = less light coming in = a wider depth of field (much more in focus) and a slower relative shutter speed
Necklace Bokeh by Archaeofrog on Flickr, shot at f/1.8

The wide-open end of the aperture spectrum is fantastic aperture for artsy photographs with blurry backgrounds or stunning bokeh (those out-of-focus dots of light and color). These are easiest to accomplish at the wider of the wide apertures, such as f/1.8. Not every lens is able to reach an aperture of f/1.8 or wider, however.

This photograph was taken at f/5, but the blur is still significant as the background trees are far away.

The widest aperture available on a given lens is often included in the name of the lens itself. If you have only a kit lens, then the widest aperture you have may be somewhere between f/3.5 and f/5.6. For many zoom lenses, the widest aperture you can get varies depending on whether you are using the wider or narrower end of the zooming capabilities of the lens. The kit lens that came with my Canon T1i, a EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5 – f/5.6, means that it has a maximum wide aperture of f/3.5 when taking a picture at 18 mm but that the maximum wide aperture at 55 mm is only f/5.6. While it is still possible to achieve some of the neat effects, blurry backgrounds, and fancy bokeh at these values with a kit lens, your ability to do so increases tremendously with an even wider aperture.

This comparison of changing aperture is from the article Remember the Background and Move Your Feet!

This image offers a comparison of three aperture values on the wider-end of the spectrum. The wider the aperture value, the less of the image is within focus, and the easier it is to achieve a blurry background and bokeh. While the furthest back leaves are out-of-focus in all three images, by the time you reach the right-hand image and an aperture of f/1.8, only the two front leaves are left in focus.

If you currently have only the lens or lenses that came with your camera, and you really want to make a big difference in your photography and have a little to spend, then I highly recommend purchasing a 50 mm f/1.8 lens for your camera. (Read more in Yes, You Need a 50mm Lens.) Both Canon and Nikon make versions for their cameras that are around $100-120 USD. Considering most lens run into the multiple hundreds to thousands of dollars, this is a great starter lens for moving beyond your initial kit lens or lenses. A 50 mm prime lens is also a great tool for macro photography: read more in Cheap and Easy Macro: comparisons and recommendations.

What You Can Do with a Wide Aperture

Wide aperture lenses are prized for their ability to render backgrounds blurry and throw everything but a narrow plane of the photograph out of focus.

Autumn Leaves and Autumn Light by Archaeofrog on Flickr

This photograph, taken at f/2.2, shows how extremely thin the plane of focus (the depth of field) can become at close range. Large sections of both the foreground and the background are out of focus, and only the leaves and grass immediately within the middle are in focus. The slightly pentagonal nature of the bokeh (the blurry light shapes) is the result of the f/2.2 aperture. Had I used f/1.8, the widest aperture on this lens, the bokeh would be perfect circles. As the blades within the lens close down at each narrower aperture, they create a smaller and smaller pentagon. (This particular lens, the Canon 50 mm f/1.8 has five blades inside that control the aperture. Other lenses can have different numbers and would render different polygons.)

Since wider apertures allows in more light, they are also good apertures to choose in low-light situations. They allow you to capture more light at the same shutter speed or to use a faster shutter speed to capture the light you need. This is also useful if you are hand-holding your camera and need a faster shutter to avoid visible camera shake. (The rough rule of thumb is that you can hand-hold a lens for 1 divided by the length of the lens seconds. So 1/50 th of a second for a 50 mm lens or 1/250 th of a second for a 250 mm lens.)

Madison Area Milky Way by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Star photography benefits from a wide aperture as you want to capture as much light as possible. This photograph of the Milky Way was taken at 18 mm, f/3.5 (the widest available for this lens, the Tamron 18-270 mm), and the highest ISO on my camera. The high ISO makes for an extremely 'noisy' image but was necessary to try and gather as much light as possible during the 30-second exposure.

Portrait of my Grandmother by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Apertures on the wider end (like f/2.2 to 3.5) are also common in portrait photography. The narrower depth of field throws the background out of focus and helps separate the in-focus subject from the background. This portrait of my grandmother was taken at 50 mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, for 1/250 th of a second. Because of the wider aperture, the background trees are rendered as a pleasing blur of colors, and the crisp focus draws your attention to her face and hands, rather than the background.

Warmth by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Be careful when using f/1.8 with portraits however, as a close-up shot with a narrow depth of focus can result in an out-of-focus nose on the front of the in-focus eyes on a face! In this self-portrait, I wanted to use the narrow depth of field provided by f/1.8 to keep the focus and attention on the hands and the coffee cup. While it is clear that my face, necklace, etc. are falling out of focus, it achieved the look I wanted. When you are trying to capture a flattering portrait with the person as your focus, however, you want to be sure the whole of the face stays in focus.

Summary of Wide Apertures like F/1.8

The wider end of the aperture spectrum, roughly f/1.2 to f/5.6, is great for capturing a lot of light and rendering backgrounds blurry or full of bokeh. The wide-open apertures should be your go-to values for low night or night photography as well as flattering portraits. The narrow depth of field also works well for more abstract or artistic photographs. Spend some time exploring these apertures to see what effects work best for you.

Prairie Grasses by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Have you read up on Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum? The next article in this series covers What an Aperture of F/22 Can Do for You, and the last article explains the Middle Range of Apertures: F/8-11.

Want more posts geared toward beginners? Click 'For Beginners' up at the top or try the rest of our series, Camera Settings and Strategies:




Want to learn more? Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now available from Amazon. Get the most out of your camera with practical advice about the technical and creative aspects of DSLR photography that will have you taking beautiful pictures right away.