Alpha Photography Blog

Aperture and shutter speed. These are the yin and yang of photography. You can’t have one without the other.

They are concepts that can be a little confusing, so here is how I find it easier to understand them…

Aperture and shutter speed have this symbiotic relationship where the setting for one influences the setting for the other.

They both have the responsibility for controlling light, and depending on the outcome of the photo, and the available light, as to which one takes precedence.

In a situation where there isn’t much light, and you have a tripod, then aperture is more likely to rule your photo. On the flip side, if light is low and you don’t have a tripod, then shutter speed becomes dominant, as you need to be able to hand hold the camera and reduce the likelihood of camera-shake.

So, you decide which of the two you need to set first, then the setting for the other becomes obvious, provided you want the image to be correctly exposed.

Aperture

Aperture is defined as the size of the hole through which light passes. It is measured in ‘f stops’, which is consistent across all lenses and brands.

Aperture is linked with the concept of Depth of Field. The aperture determines how much of the background is in focus, which affects the apparent ‘depth’ of the image.  As both concepts are fundamentally interrelated, I suggest you check out my post in the link above.

Here is the rule of thumb for aperture:

• The larger the aperture (i.e. the hole), the smaller the f stop; and
• The smaller the aperture (i.e. the hole), the higher the f stop.

Linking this now to Depth of Field:

• The smaller the f stop, the shorter the depth of field; and
• The higher the f stop, the longer the depth of field.

This is pretty theory-intense, and as the best way to learn is to just ‘do it’, get out there and have a play with the settings.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is the length of time the shutter remains open, allowing light into the camera.

Measuring light is the key to ensuring a correct exposure.  All cameras (even the old mechanical cameras) have an in-built light meter.

Say you choose to set your aperture to f11.0, your camera’s light meter will indicate when the frame is correctly exposed, as you adjust your shutter speed.  Once the exposure is correct, that becomes your image’s required settings.

Generally, you can only hand hold your camera, before you start getting camera-shake, down to 1/60 second.  Anything slower than that and your images may end up blurry, unless you’re using a tripod.

Practise makes perfect as they say, so play around with your aperture and shutter speed settings to gauge

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