Trying to Get Focused

Aperture aka F-stop is the third and final player in the game of Exposure.  Aperture is the mechanism that opens and closes when you take a picture.

Where can I find the aperture???

 It is usually located next to the shutter speed on your LCD screen.  The numbers range from F1.8  to F 2.

They may look something like this: 1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

I know there are a lot of numbers but don't worry!  I will keep it simple and only use the extremes.  I'm sure you can figure out everything else in between.

1.8 is a small number but it is a very wide aperture.  Therefore,  it lets in more light

22, a large number,  is a narrow opening .  Therefore, it lets in less light.

Feeling confused??  Don't be!  I will make this simple.

 The smaller the number = bigger/wider aperture = more light

The bigger the number = smaller/narrow aperture = less light


The widest aperture available depends on the type of lens you use.  The lowest Aperture/F-stop available is usually denoted on the front inner rim of your lens.

Example: Canon Zoom Lens EF-S  18-55mm   1:3.5 - 5.6 IS

Basically this means that if my lens is wide open at 18mm, the lowest available aperture is 3.5 When my lens is at 55mm then the lowest aperture available is 5.6.

Does this make sense?  I sure hope so.

                                                                    Because...............

There's more!

Aperture also controls depth of field (DOF).  This basically controls how much of your picture is in focus.

The smaller the number (2.8 or so) the less you have in focus

The bigger the number (22 or so) the more you have in focus


Example:

Subject:  You are taking a picture of a cow that is about 10 feet away from you.

Foreground: There is bright green grass between you and the cow.

Background: There are beautiful mountains about 10ft behind the cow.

Now you have to decide what you want included in the picture.

If you want everything (foreground, subject and background) in focus : Use a smaller/narrow aperture/F-stop number of 22 or so.  This is know as a large depth of field

If you want only your subject in focus and the background blurry: Use a bigger/wider aperture/F-stop of 2.8.  This is known as a shallow depth of field.

Take a deep breath and read below....


If you want to see heaven and hell in the same photo: use a larger number (22)

If you only want to see heaven : use a smaller number (2.8)


Here is a link that aperture.  I found it very helpful.  She breaks it down into four sections.  Make sure you read them all!
You should also check out the rest of her website.  She has lots of delicious recipes!

The Pioneer Woman


Lets end this lesson with a photo.  I managed to take this one while I was doing a 10-step project for class.   I had to take a photo every 10 steps I took.  I did this a total of 30 times.  My fingers were numb by the time I was done.


Feb 15, 2011
46/365
Park Bench

Come back sometime this week and I will put it all together!

       

       Aasiya

Am I the only person in the world who loves Peeps???

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

I think Valentine's Day is probably the most hated holiday of the year.  Don't hate Valentine's Day just because you are single, especially because you have me!  It is not just a day for lovers, but a day to show friends and family how much you love them as well.

So I give you my heart

One for friends and the other for family

The good news is......

they are edible....

and they are Peeps....

Strawberry and Cream Peeps!

I really love Peeps!  I don't know anyone else who enjoys eating them as much as I do.

Do what you will with them, but here they are!

Feb 14, 2011

35/36

I Hold You Heart in My Hands

                                                                                                 Happy Valentine's Day,

                                                                                                                        Aasiya

This is Why I Love My Husband.....

He uttered the 11 special words to me when I awoke this morning:  "Do you want to go to brunch at The Royal Tavern?"  

I replied "Hells yeah!"  I have been talking about going to brunch at The Royal Tavern for about two weeks.  I heard the brunch was good so I was dying to try it.  I decided to bring my camera with me to capture all of the deliciousness.  I looked at the menu and knew exactly what I wanted to try Brioche French Toast with Dulce de Leche and Vanilla Creme Anglaise.  Ummm..... I can image myself eating it over and over again.

Was it really that good???

Oh yes indeed!

 

I know you want some right now. 

My husbands meal wasn't nearly as exciting as mine, so I didn't take a picture of his food.  However, he did have a might tasty and spicy Bloody Mary. 

I just had a plain ole glass of orange juice, which leads me to the picture of the day!

Feb 13, 2011

44/365

He had and Bloody Mary and I had an Orange Juice

Aasiya

Good Golly Miss Molly

The husband and I went to our friends Lauren and Jeff's house for dinner last night, which by the way was delicious!  I hadn't taken a picture all day, so I decided to take my camera with me.  I was hoping I could get a picture of their dog Molly.  She is so cute, but I had no idea that she would be so full of energy.  It was very hard to get a picture of her.  Towards the end of the night, she went into her "limp" state and was basically like molding mud.  I managed to get a few shots of her.  Some of them came out blurry, but that probably had something to do with the fact that I discovered my new favorite red wine, Bogle Zinfandel.  I may have had too much :)

So here she is......

Feb 12, 2011
43/365
Miss Molly

Aasiya

How do you like it? Fast or Slow?

No need to be shy.  I am not talking dirty.  I am simply talking shutter speed.  I will be using the KISS method for this one.  I'm keeping it simple stupid.  So let's get started!

Shutter Speed


Shutter speed is a measure of how many seconds your shutter stays open.  The longer you leave your shutter open, the more light  you will let in.  Additionally, a longer shutter speed results in blurrier moving objects.

So, how do I read shutter speed???

Shutter speeds are almost always fractional.  On my camera's (Canon Rebel Ti1) LCD screen, shutter speed is located at the top left hand corner.  They can go as slow as 30 minutes  to as fast as 1/4,000 of a second.  You may even notice the word BULB as an option.  This means that the shutter will remain open as long as the shutter button is being pressed.  This basically means the faster the shutter speed, the less light you let into your camera.  This also means less "movement" in your pictures.   Handholding your camera is best at 1/30th of a sec and faster.  If you go below 1/30 (and you lack ninja-like balance) then you need a tripod or a steady surface for your camera.  Otherwise, the slightest hand movement will result in a blurry picture.

Picking your shutter speed is determined by the light you have available in your scene as well as the "feeling" you want to project.  For example, if you are photographing a drag race and you want to freeze the movement of the car at that moment in time then you want to use a really fast shutter speed (1/ 2000).  If you want capture its speed and show some movement then you may use a slower shutter speed of (1/60).

I'm not an expert (just a chick with a camera, a blog and an exquisite rack), so here are some sites you can refer to for more information on shutter speed:

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/shutter-speed

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-capture-motion-blur-in-photography


http://www.diyphotography.net/shutter-speed


Now on to the good stuff!

Feb 11, 2011
42/365
I was hungry when I took this photo

You didn't miss anything by not eating one of these.  They were stale...yuck

Until tomorrow,

Aasiya