Cara Mudah Memahami Aperture Lensa

If you are just starting out with the hobby of photography, an important lesson you should learn first is the exposure triangle. This setting is very important for you to master first because it's the only factor that determines the results of your photos.

As the name suggests, the exposure triangle relies on three elements, namely ISO, shutter speed and lens diaphragm. Understanding the diaphragm itself can sometimes be difficult for you. Therefore, in this article we will discuss a basic understanding of the diaphragm.
Here's an easy way to understand the camera lens diaphragm.

1. The term is different, means the same

If you read photography tutorials, you will often come across the terms aperture, aperture, or diaphragm.

In fact, these three terms are the same, namely the unit for counting the number of holes the light enters. This hole is created because of the lens aperture blade.

 

2. The analogy of a tap

To make it easier to understand the diaphragm, you can compare it to an illustration of a bucket filled with tap water.

A tap is analogous to an opening, water is an analogy to light, and a bucket is your camera sensor. The bigger the tap (lens opening) is opened, the more water (light) will enter the bucket (camera sensor).

So that the bigger the tap is opened, the more water will flow so that the bucket will fill up quickly.

3 Ways to Easily Adjust Exposure Triangles in Photography

3. The numbers are inversely proportional to the aperture

For beginners, the confusion that is often encountered is reading the aperture numbers. In photography, numbers are made inversely related to lens aperture.

For example, large numbers like f / 16, f / 18 or f / 22 mean small lens aperture. Conversely, if the numbers are small, such as f / 1.8, f / 2.2, f / 3.5, then the lens aperture is large.

This aperture number depends on your lens and camera settings. There are lenses that have the largest aperture of f / 3.5. However, most prime lenses have an aperture of f / 2.8 and above.

4. The amount is directly proportional to the depth of field

The number on the diaphragm also affects the depth of field in your photo. Depth of field is the space where the image looks sharp.

For example, the bokeh photos that you often see are the result of a narrow depth of field. The number on the diaphragm is directly proportional to the depth of this field. So, when you use an aperture of f / 1.8, you can produce photos with a blurred background or what is commonly called bokeh.

On the other hand, if you use a small aperture like f / 22, the photo you produce will have a large depth of field.

Usually when shooting landscapes, you need a large amount of depth of field because you want all areas (object, background and foreground) to be in focus. Conversely, if you are shooting portraits or still objects against a blurry background, you need some depth of field.

5. Take advantage of the camera aperture priority

Now, if you have mastered the basics of lens aperture, the shooting process will definitely feel easier. You no longer need to guess what the photo will look like if you use a certain aperture.

Apart from being able to use the manual mode on the camera to adjust the aperture, you can also take advantage of the features that are in almost all cameras.

The feature that you can use on the camera is aperture priority. You can find this feature on the top dial of your camera with the A or AV logo. This feature is sure to be on all your DSLR and mirrorless cameras.

The advantage of using this mode is that you only need to adjust the aperture and other settings, such as shutter speed or ISO, will be automatically adjusted by the camera.

Now, after understanding the aperture, I hope your photos will get even better. The thing that you have to remember is that the only way to improve your photography skills is to practice constantly.