Photography Article What an Aperture of F/22 Can Do for You|Photography Artist Statement

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 factors summarize the principle factors approximately the 2 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 way of Archaeofrog

This image is available for purchase and is featured with othernational 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.

In this photo, the f/22 aperture extends the depth of field (vicinity in recognition) from the flowing water in the foreground thru the mirrored image pond in the middle and all of the way to the structure inside the historical past. The shutter speed of 1/40 allowed me at hand-keep the digital camera for this specific shot, however due to the fact f/22 lets in tons much less mild, many panorama photographers use a tripod to stabilize the camera and to assist the longer shutter pace essential. (Read a way to Maximize Your Tripod.)

Read the way to get this photograph in the postLong Exposure Photography at the Fair(e)

F/22 is likewise beneficial in situations where you want a longer shutter speed. Moving the aperture towards f/22 (narrower apertures, smaller fractions) permits relatively much less light and calls for noticeably longer shutter speeds. For the carnival ride shot above, I knew that I desired a protracted shutter pace to maximize the amount of blur and lighting fixtures captured. This shot was taken at f/22 and a shutter speed of 5 seconds (together with a tripod and faraway launch).

Slow-Motion Silky Water by Archaeofrog on Flickr

F/22 and slower, longer shutter speeds are also used to make the oft-well known 'silky water' pictures, just like the picture above. A long shutter speed creates the long, gradual blur inside the water. This image was shot at f/22 with a shutter velocity of zero.Eight seconds. The excessive pace of the water helped create the blur in that pretty brief shutter time.

Sunglasses Waterfall through Archaeofrog on Flickr

Many photographers use additional add-ons to create an even longer shutter velocity with flowing water. A round polarizer or a impartial density clear out on the front of the lens similarly cuts down at the mild reaching the sensor and requires an excellent longer shutter velocity to stability the slim f/22 aperture. As an example, inside the image above I used my sun shades to simulate a polarizer and achieve a slower shutter speed (1/4 th of a 2nd).

Sparkle by Archaeofrog on Flickr

Another innovative use of the f/22 aperture is the creation of solar flares, like inside the photo above. At f/22, factor resources of light end up those vivid, multi-pointed stars. While the solar is normally too overwhelmingly shiny for this impact, you can use sunlight filtering via an obstruction, like leaves or trees to create a factor supply. This impact additionally works properly on smaller sources of light, like street lights alongside a darkened road. (Look carefully in the carnival shot under and you could see the solar flare famous person effect on the returned avenue mild.)

Traffic Trails with the aid of Archaeofrog on Flickr

The long shutter speed of f/22 works properly for photographs with mild trails created through moving traffic. The shot above used a shutter of 15 seconds and a tripod. Both the red and inexperienced avenue lights are visible over the time of the publicity and had been rendered as superstar bursts. The cars stopped at the mild are visible at the stoplight because they were stationary for almost all of the exposure, while the alternative motors appear most effective as their headlights and back lights.

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 way of Archaeofrog on Flickr

Have you read up on Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum? The previous article on this collection coveredWhat an Aperture of F/1.8 Can Do for You, and the last article explains the Middle Range of Apertures: F/eight-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:

• All about Exposure: correct, creative, and equivalent exposures
• More about Exposure: how to fix common exposure problems in your photography
• Shutter Speed: an overview

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