Week 1: Technical Post (KD)

Apature (Diaphram) 

In the picture of this girl, her face is sharp and clear, while the landscape in the background is blurry. This effect is usually desired when taking a portrait photo such as the one shown here. To achieve this effect, one must understand apature. Apature describes the size of the hole that lets light into the lense and the size of the depth of field. The higher the apature, the small the hole in the lense, and visa versa. A larger hole lets in more light and creates a lower depth of field, while a smaller hole lets in less light and creates a higher depth of field. The depth of field describes the distance of clearity in the picture. When the depth of field is large, the sharpness and clarity of the images goes further, good for taking pictures of things that are further away or landscapes. When the depth of field is small, the clearity only applies to the objects that are closer to the lense, just like in this picture. Once one understands apature, one can control and manipulate the depth of field of their photos and the amount of light that enters the lense of the camera.

Katherine