02/09/2026
DAY 2: What exactly is APERTURE?
Welcome back to Learn Photography in 30 Days, my FREE photography series throughout September!
Today we’re tackling one of the most important camera settings to understand: aperture.
Your aperture is simply an opening inside your lens that allows light into your camera. Changing its size can also change how much of your photograph appears sharp and create those lovely blurred backgrounds.
Aperture is measured in f numbers, also known as f stops.
Some people get confused at the start regarding the f numbers.
A Small f-number = a WIDER aperture. Think f/1.8, f/2.8 or f/4.
This allows in more light and can create a shallow depth of field. Perfect when you want your subject sharp with a lovely blurred background.
Larger f-number = a SMALLER aperture
Think f/8, f/11 or f/16.
This allows in less light but can give you a deeper depth of field, keeping more of your photograph in focus, from the foreground to the background.
So you might choose a wider aperture like f/2.8 for a portrait, but something like f/8 or f/11 for a landscape where you want much more of the scene in focus.
Come back on Day 5 and I’ll show you how to set the aperture setting on your camera.
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Tomorrow we look at Shutter Speed. We’ll discuss how to freeze movement, avoid unwanted blur and even use blur creatively.
