Sharp Shootin’ Mama! A lesson on Aperture

“I have this great camera but…”

Sound familiar?  I’ve heard it a zillion times and I get it, I have a “but” to put in there too, “but I’m NEVER in the photo!”  Sooo, I’ve hired two different photographers this year to capture me and the family.

But that isn’t what this post is about.  This post is about other BUTS, like “but I don’t know how to use it” or “but my images don’t come out like I want them to” or “but I only use it on auto”.

And let me tell you something, if you have a DSLR, the last thing you want to use it on is auto.

So let me help you out.

Lesson One: The Three Amigos with a focus on Aperture

Aperture


Shutter


ISO


They are besties.  Seriously, like in highschool, they can’t function without each other.  When there is less of one, there needs to be more of another.  They use each other as a crutch.  They are the the three corners of a triangle, the sauce and meatballs to the other’s spaghetti, you can’t NOT invite one to a party or you will have serious issues on your hands.  BESTIES forever and ever and ever.

Memorize their names- Aperture, Shutter and ISO.  Aperture, Shutter and ISO.  Aperture, Shutter and ISO.

Got it?

Let’s move on then.

Let’s chat about Aperture and her crazy personality.

Aperture
Aperture is a silly, silly goose and everyday is opposite day for silly Aperture.  Aperture is a circle and the bigger the circle, the more light aperture will let into your camera and the smaller the circle, the less light aperture will let into your camera.  BUT because Aperture is celebrating opposite day EVERY day, the SMALLER the aperture number the BIGGER the circle.
Repeat that, “the smaller the aperture number the BIGGER the circle”.  Repeat it again, this is important!!!
Light is important. Light will help expose your subject correctly.  If you don’t love light already, let me put words into your mouth, you LOVE light.  Cool?  Aperture is like the most natural light you can get, it’s a hole that is letting light into your camera.  
Here is another silly thing about Aperture.  (You so silly Aperture!)
When you have a SMALL number, meaning the hole is BIGGER letting in MORE light, the stuff that is in focus is LESS.  See, that crazy opposite Aperture.
Seriously, can we vote Aperture for Class Clown?
Okay Holly, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!
What that means is you pick what you want in focus and everything else falls out of focus.  You get that blur.  You get, are you ready for it, bokeh.
(Bokeh=blur)
The trick is making sure the important stuff is in focus and the non-important stuff is out of focus, also known as OOF.
The trick is picking a number to fit your shooting needs.  If you are shooting a landscape image of Paris, you might want a really high aperture so EVERYTHING is in focus but if you are shooting your daughter with a messy house in the background (Pfft, like I’ve never had THAT happen before!), you want a low number so your cute baby is in focus and that pile of laundry behind her is not. 
Pop Quiz!  
Cute little guy in focus, background not in focus.  Is this a lower aperture or a higher aperture?
Pretty spot where I could live forever if there weren’t a zillion bugs.  Almost everything is in focus.  Low or high aperture? 
Interested in an “Sharp Shootin’ Mama” playdate where we meet at a park with the kids and your camera for a hands on lesson  learning how to use your camera to get the best possible images of your fast moving kids?  Email me at holly1018@gmail.com for details.

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