Essay Sample about Aperture in Photography

Did you know that the first photo was taken in 1826 and took an extensive eight hours to take (Zhang)? Fortunately, cameras today can take a photo in a couple of seconds. In addition, cameras can be adjusted in a myriad of different ways. For example, photos of one subject can look extremely different if the settings on the camera are changed. In fact, a photo can look dark, bright, blurry, or sharp depending on the settings on the camera. Overall, the keys to making a great photograph are to balance light sensitivity with ISO, control motion blur with shutter speed, and to control depth of field with aperture.

To begin with, a camera needs light to capture a photo, and ISO controls how sensitive the camera is to light (What Is ISO? A Simple Guide to ISO in Photography.). Furthermore, ISO is measured in numbers such as 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 ISO. A lower ISO measurement will decrease the camera’s sensitivity to light, making the photo darker, and a higher ISO measurement will do the opposite (What Is ISO? A Simple Guide to ISO in Photography.). A couple of examples of using ISO measurements effectively are firstly, the bright outdoors or a well-lit room, only requiring 100-200 ISO (Landwer-Johan). Secondly, dimmer spaces such as a moderately lit room or a cloudy day require 400-700 ISO. Lastly, dark areas such as a street or landscapes at night need 800-3200 ISO or even higher. Additionally, high ISO can also be used when shooting a moving subject to compensate for the darkness a fast shutter speed creates, which will be covered later on (What Is ISO? A Simple Guide to ISO in Photography.). Equally important, a higher ISO will create more grain in a photo (Norman). For example, 100-600 ISO will not create a noticeable amount of noise; however, 800 ISO is where the grain starts showing up, and 1600-3200+ will create a considerable amount of grain in a photo (Vijayakumar). It is best to have a high enough ISO to show what is in the photo, yet low enough to reduce the amount of grain in the photo. 

Secondly, shutter speed controls the amount of time the shutter opens to let light into the camera (Shutter Speed: A beginner's guide). The shutter is a device in the camera which exposes the camera to light. Furthermore, shutter speed is measured in seconds, or fractions of a second, such as five seconds, 1/100th of a second, 1/200th of a second, and even up to 1/500th of a second (What Is Shutter Speed?). A slow shutter speed is considered to be when the shutter exposes the camera to light for a longer period of time, such as five, 10, 15, or 30 seconds (Shutter Speed: A Beginner's Guide.). On the other hand, a fast shutter speed is considered to be when the shutter exposes the camera to light for a shorter period of time, such as 1/50th, 1/100th, or 1/500th of a second. When the camera is exposed to light for a shorter period of time, less light is let in, so a slower shutter speed will brighten up a photo while a faster shutter speed will dim it (Understanding Shutter Speed for Beginners - Photography Basics.). Moreover, shutter speed controls motion blur, which is blurriness created by an object moving. The photo can also look blurry due to camera shake, when the movement of the camera creates blur, which can also be controlled by shutter speed. Equally important, a faster shutter speed will reduce the amount of blur created by motion or camera shake, and may even seem to freeze the object in place in the photo (What Is Shutter Speed). A slower shutter speed may intensify the amount of blur created by motion or camera shake. However, it can also be used creatively, such as creating a feeling of movement in the photo (Shutter Speed: A Beginner's Guide.).

Lastly, aperture is the opening in a camera lens which lets in light into the camera and can be adjusted to be smaller or larger (Aperture in Photography: A Beginner's Guide.). It controls the depth of field in a photo, and it also controls how much light goes into the camera. Depth of field is how much of the photo is in focus. Additionally, the size of the aperture is measured in F-stops such as f/1.8, f/5.6, and f/22 (What Is Aperture? Understanding Aperture in Photography). A lower F-stop such as f/1.8, correlates to a bigger opening in the camera, decreasing the depth of field, and letting in more light. In contrast, a higher F-stop such as f/22 correlates to a smaller opening in the camera, increasing the depth of field, and letting in less light. A plethora of close up shots use a low F-stop to emphasize the subject, while a great deal of wide shots use a higher F-stop to include everything in a photo (Aperture in Photography: A Beginner's Guide.). As mentioned previously, a high F-stop lets in less light than a low F-stop, so a person may have to increase the ISO and/or slow down the shutter speed to brighten the photo (What Is Aperture? Understanding Aperture in Photography). To add, knowing what F-stop to use for certain situations is extremely helpful in making a photo look sharp. Firstly, closeup shots such as portraits are recommended to use a low F-stop such as f/1.8 and f/2.8 (What Is Aperture? Understanding Aperture in Photography). Secondly, shots of a wide area such as a landscape are recommended to use a large F-stop such as f/14 and f/18. Thirdly, shots in between a small and wide area, such as a group of people, are recommended to use a medium F-stop such as f/4, f/5.6, and f/8.

To sum up, ISO controls the brightness of a photo, shutter speed controls motion blur, and how long the camera is exposed to light, and aperture controls the depth of field and how large the opening in the lens on the camera is. As noted previously, ISO controls the brightness of the photo, yet creates grain when it is too high, so it is best to keep the ISO as low as possible in order to minimize the amount of grain present in a photo. Moreover, shutter speed controls how long the camera is exposed to light and therefore controls motion blur, which can be used to freeze a moving object in place, or be creatively used to create a sense of movement. Lastly, aperture controls how large the opening in the lens on the camera is, and it controls depth of field, which is either used to emphasize the subject in a photo by blurring the background, or by making everything in a photo sharp. It does not matter what kind of camera you have, cheap or expensive, you can still take spectacular photos!