Chapter 3: Light
The final lens issue we’ll discuss here is light, but since it usually requires some additional
equipment, we’ll give light its’ own chapter.
As previously discussed, depth of field issues mean we have to shoot at very small apertures.
Unfortunately, when we shoot with a very small aperture, it means that the hole in the lens isn’t
large enough to let in much light. This is another of those – seemingly simple but really
important photo shooting issues that is vital to have a firm grasp of...
The larger the aperture, the more light. The smaller the aperture, the less light that can get in...
Photo Preview Button
The difference in light between a wide open aperture and a closed down one is astounding! So
much so that, when you are looking through your camera’s viewfinder, it is made to
automatically show the scene with the largest aperture your lens is capable of using. You
wouldn’t be able to see much of anything at all if you were viewing the scene at the smaller
setting – it just gets dark and black.
Then, when you depress the shutter button to take the shot, the aperture is automatically “stopped
down” to whatever f-stop you’ve set it to be.
BTW – most good cameras have a photo preview button that you can depress and which will
allow you to see the scene through the aperture you’ve set. Grab your manual, find where the
photo preview button is and check it out! You’ll be surprised. AND you’ll instantly understand
why your camera is made to show the scene at the largest aperture.
But, that can create its own set of problems! Remember that at a larger aperture, we have a
shallower depth of field. That’s why your portrait subjects often end up with “antlers”.