Aperture in Movies
The Camera and Aperture
- The Aperture is located in the camera lens and not in the camera body!!!!
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Cell phone Portrait Mode and Aperture
- Why does Portrait mode on your cell phone look so different?
- Portrait mode mimics the Low Aperture/ shallow depth-of-field effect of professional cameras.
- This mode blurs the background to make the subject pop
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What is aperture?
Aperture:
- Is the opening and closing of the camera lens
- It is written with an f before the number to indicate what the aperture of the lens is at
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Aperture Controls 2 Things
1. The amount of LIGHT that the lens lets into the camera senor
Bigger the opening the MORE light gets in
Smaller the opening the LESS light gets in
Low F/Stop Aperture
Called Shallow Depth of Field
- Low f/stop number (usually f/5.6 or lower)
A section of the photo is in focus and the background is blurred
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What is Shallow Depth of Field good for?
Portraits
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Isolation of an object
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Low light situations
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The photos below were shot with a low f/stop setting on the camera
HIGH F/Stop APERTURE
- Called Deep Focus
- High f/stop number
- Most of the photo is in focus
What is Deep Focus good for?
Scenery or landscape
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Large Group Photos
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Documentary
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Note: The photos below (f/12 or higher). They have a Deep Focus
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How do you control the Aperture on your camera?
Step 1:
- Turn the top dial to AV to put camera into Aperture Mode
- You will control the Aperture settings and the camera will automatically control the shutter speed
Step 2
- On the back of your camera you will see a F with a number after it
- This is the Aperture ( f/stop) number your camera is set at
Step 3
- To change the Aperture (f/stop) numbers on camera
- Turn the dial at the top right of the camera
- The f/ stop numbers on the back of the screen will change
- Turn the dial at the top right of the camera






