Aperture and other technical photography basics can induce yawns in the most eager of budding shutterbugs, but once these basics are understood, the rest of photography easily comes into focus. Aperture, ISO and shutter speed are all important terms to know, whether you have a point-and-shoot or a professional camera. This article explains aperture and provides tips for using it to create better photographs so you’ll be proud to display them in a wall picture frame.

To better understand aperture, think about how the irises of your eyes get bigger and smaller to allow more or less light into the pupil. Like your irises, the camera’s lens diaphragm narrows and widens to let in less or more light. Thus the aperture determines the exposure of the picture, that is how bright or dark it is. The aperture also has another important purpose which we’ll look at in a second.

“Aperture” refers to the size of the camera’s lens diaphragm and is measured in F stops. The smaller the F Stop number, the wider the aperture. This is why it can be confusing. Actually the F stop numbers are ratios, which is why the bigger the F Stop number, the smaller the size of the aperture.

Besides controlling light, aperture controls depth of field. To better understand this concept, make a fist and hold it in front of your eye. Now gradually open your hand. See how the focus changes as you open your hand? Sure you can see more through the larger opening, but notice how when the opening in your fist was small, everything that you could see was equally in focus? Try it again and see how when you open your fist, the object closest to you will come into focus while objects further away will be fuzzy. This is how aperture determines depth of field or how much of a picture is in focus.

If you are taking pictures in Auto Focus (AF), the camera will attempt to focus on what it sees as the main subject, but often it may not be what you want.

For this reason, many cameras have an Aperture Priority setting. This allows you to set the aperture and then it automatically adjusts the shutter speed to compensate for the larger or smaller aperture. For example, if you set the aperture for a landscape, this narrows it, thus letting in less light. The camera would then automatically increase the amount of time the shutter stays open so that your photo isn’t underexposed or too dark. Aperture Priority isn’t exact, but this is how it usually works.

Now if you have an SLR and are shooting in manual mode, you can adjust the aperture and shutter speeds separately.

Most will have a camera with preset modes, such as portrait, landscape, sports, etc. When the mode is set for landscape, the aperture automatically narrows so everything will be brought into focus. At the same time, the shutter speed automatically slows, thus leaving the shutter open longer to compensate for the lessened amount of light streaming through the diaphragm.

When you switch to portrait mode and focus on someone in front of you with the landscape in the background, the camera will make your subject in focus and make them stand out from the background. And it will speed up the shutter speed so the picture isn’t overexposed by the additional light allowed in with the larger aperture.

Remember that the smaller the aperture, the greater the F Stop number and the greater the depth of field.

Understanding photography basics like aperture is not only important for those using manual settings or Aperture Priority, it also helps those using preset modes. Here are three preset modes you should better understand:

• Portrait: How much the background blurs when using this mode depends on your camera and the distance between your subject and background – a minimum of 10 feet works best. This mode can be used for any subject that you want to bring into focus, while taking the background out of focus, not just people and pets.
• Landscape:(called “Infinity” on some cameras): This is the mode depicted by the mountain peak or figure 8. You can use this for anything where you want everything in the picture to be in focus, such as seascapes, cityscapes or your garden. And for shots of breathtaking vistas, try framing them in a panoramic picture frame to make your images really stand out.
• Macro: This mode, often depicted by a tulip opens the camera’s aperture extra wide so you can take super close ups. Depending on your camera, you’ll be able to get anywhere within an inch to a foot of your subject. When preparing to take photos outdoors of items like flowers, remember that even the smallest petal movement can cause the image to be blurry because of the slower shutter speed. Also remember to focus on the subject that you want in focus, whether it be a caterpillar’s eyes or a butterfly’s wings.

Just applying this knowledge can help you produce some beautiful photographs that you’ll be proud to display in a gallery picture frame on the wall.

There are some very good reasons to learn how to take family portraits, and you don’t have to be embarking on a photography career to do so. Having portraits professionally done can be just too expensive for many families. And often it can be difficult to get everyone to the studio at the scheduled time.

Every family deserves to have at least one nice portrait together displayed in a picture frame. And, as a family grows and ages, it’s nice to have additional portraits done too. If you want to learn how to take portraits, learn by taking a portrait of your family or someone you know who would love to have a family portrait! If you are taking a portrait of your family, you have to be in it too! So be sure to use a camera with a timer or remote shutter button release.

If you are new to photography learning how to take family portraits will also give you the opportunity to learn and practice other skills, such as taking that group picture at Thanksgiving or a team picture after the game.

Without further ado, here are some tips to help you get started taking memorable family portraits, whether formal or informal.

1) Avoid the “Police Line Up” Portrait – Instead of having them all line up shoulder to shoulder, try something more natural looking and that also makes it easier to get a big family into the picture.

Staggering is one technique that works well for group photos. For example, you might stagger the family members on the front steps of a porch or on and around boulders near a pond, with some family members standing and others sitting. If in a park, two siblings might sit on a low hanging branch of a tree or all could sit on the lawn clustered together. Show family togetherness by spacing relatively close together. And by staggering the group, it will make it easier to display the picture in a 8×10 picture frame or even something larger like a 11×14 picture frame.

2) Show Relationships – You can do this with placement in the family portrait poses. For example, Grandma and Grandpa might stand next to each, a toddler could be in Mother’s arms, two siblings might have arms slung over each others shoulders, etc.

3) Consider Including the Family Pets – assuming they hold still long enough. Even if the pet is sitting still, you probably should raise the Shutter Speed Priority to 1/125 because even the smallest movement can cause a blur. It is always easier to take an individual portrait of a someone with their pet (or even a pet separately), but if the family has a mellow dog or cat, try to take some poses with and without the family pet.

4) Get Creative with Props – depending upon the type of portrait you want. Does the family play community baseball? Each family member could hold a ball, bat or mitt. This is a trend with individual portraiture that can be fun for families too.

5) Get Everyone Smiling – Instead of just saying “cheese,” put the family at ease (no rhyme intended) by talking to them: compliment, tell a story joke around, and soon they won’t be so nervous about the photographing and their smiles will become more relaxed and real. When you’ve got everyone posed and smiling, ask the family to hold them until you give them the signal that you got the shot.

Finally, make it fun and take lots of shots, so the family can choose the best. You’re sure to get some keepers where the family will feel proud to frame them for all to see.

Shooting with a camera and adjusting the settings manually can be an intimidating task to the new photographer. Most veteran photographers will no doubt remember the first roll of film they ruined by reading the light wrong or the photos they missed by having a closed lens cap. A photographer’s job is to be the conductor of a symphony of moving parts, influencing each element to make sure the end result is more than just the sum of the parts.

Without understanding each element of photography, it’s impossible to know how they relate as a whole. So let’s start our trip into the inner workings of photography with one of the most unfamiliar topics: aperture.

Defining Aperture
Aperture is simply what controls the amount of light exposed on the film or your digital camera’s sensor. It can be opened and closed using the camera’s f-stop, which is usually a ring located around the lens between the focus ring and the body of the camera. If you’ve ever looked into someone’s eye as light was shone into it and watched the pupil get smaller, this is how the aperture works too.

Most cameras have an F-Stop range of 1.7 or 2.0 to 22 or so; the range of values usually increases with the quality and cost of the camera. You can see your camera’s range by looking at the numbers around your lens. Lower F-Stops are more open and expose the film to more light, while high F-Stops close the aperture and shut the light out.

How Aperture Impacts Images
Using your F-Stop to purposefully manipulate the aperture of your camera will allow you to change the depth of field shown in your photographs. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “depth of field,” it describes how much of your photograph is blurry, and how much is sharp. Aperture directly affects the amount of time a frame is exposed; the more time the film has to absorb information, the more clarity and depth will come through in the final product.

For instance, if you were to take a photograph of a line of vintage picture frames on a table from one end using a low F-Stop number (an open aperture), you would probably see one or two frames clearly and the background ones as blurry. Open apertures create a shallow depth of field. If you were to then take the same photograph with a high F-Stop (a closed aperture), you would see many more antique picture frames clearly down the line and get a much greater sense of how far away they might be.

Fun Aperture Experiments
Playing with the aperture on your camera can be great fun once you have a bearing on what it does.  Here’s a couple of ideas to try the next time you’re out shooting and you want to test it out:

• Take every photograph twice – once at a high F-Stop, and once at a low F-Stop.
• Challenge yourself to shoot an entire roll at one F-Stop, then switch it up.
• Put your camera on full manual and adjust the F-Stop on the fly to adjust for light

Don’t forget to adjust the shutter speed of your camera to allow for more or less light (faster speeds for more light, slower speeds for less), or you may end up with overexposed or underexposed images. Many digital cameras have a fantastic option called “aperture priority mode” which lets you choose an F Stop and will then adjust the shutter speed automatically. It’s worth noting that the best types of lighting for experimenting with aperture are cloudy or overcast days. When faced with bright or low light, your options for F-Stop values will become limited.

Of course, the best way to improve your images is to take a lot of photos. So, get out there and find those photographs that you’ll be proud to hang on your picture frame wall!

So you’re interested in learning photography – congratulations! Photography is a wonderful practical hobby as well as an exciting career opportunity. Learning photography takes a little bit of patience but in the end it’s all worth it. Let’s start with the reasons why you should learn photography:

• The chance to capture special events like a special birthday or the family vacation with clear, well composed pictures.
• Never missing another “Kodak moment” while looking for the correct button or dial to push on your camera.
• The chance to take beautiful photos that you and your loved ones can enjoy displaying on a table top or framed on the wall.
• Communicating through the use of images. A picture really is worth a thousand words (especially if you put it in a beautiful jeweled picture frame)! You can capture an expression that says it all. Or as we’ve seen in countless magazines like Time and National Geographic, you can take pictures that educate and enlighten on just about any topic. You don’t have to be a professional photojournalist to get out there and take some great shots.
• The ability to take a portrait photograph in a home or outdoor setting that captures the unique personality and beauty of a loved one – the type of portrait that uplifts the person and makes them want to see the portrait framed on the wall, not hidden at the bottom of a box.
• Excitement! With a good telephoto lens you can take exciting images of wildlife and weather phenomena while still being a safe distance away. Picture your friends reactions when they see your photographs beautifully framed on your wall.
• Fun! It’s fun to take photographs of people, places and things we love. It’s even more fun to take them after learning a few skills!
• Fame and Fortune! Many a photographer has gone on to win awards and make money be selling their images online. Others sell downloads at microstock photo sites like iStock. Some take pet pictures of their friends pets and get their business started from there. Others become wedding photographers or get jobs working as photographers.

You may have some goals in mind that weren’t listed here. As mentioned the rewards of photography are many. To get started with beginning photography, all you need is a decent  (not expensive) camera and a few basic skills and you’ll be on your way to achieving your photography goals.

Ever since the introduction of the digital camera, a war has raged within the photographer community. There are those that would claim 35mm film is the one true “professional” media, and digital its casual, amateur counterpart. Conversely as costs go down and quality increases, there is an ever expanding group of professional photographers who shoot only in digital. So what’s a consumer to think? Is 35mm still the way to go, or is it time to trade up for a new digital model? It’s time to look at each format and decide once and for all which is better.

Digital Photography: Amateur?
It is true that there are many digital cameras on the market, and like their 35mm counterparts there is an endless supply of variables that can impact the images each one is capable of producing. Image quality (in terms of depth of field and color contrast) has always been a major concern for those that choose digital and is still one of the most common excuses heard from the opposition. Add to this the fact that finding a digital camera that could match the sheer raw data contained in a photograph on film was both arduous and incredibly expensive, and the 35mm enthusiast has a fairly solid argument.

But fortunately for the consumer, the price of an excellent digital camera has dropped steeply in the last few years, while the “quality for the dollar” has increased dramatically. Canon’s popular “Digital Rebel” line of SLRs has given people an affordable (under $1,000) entry-level camera that produces near professional results. And since Canon isn’t the only camera company, it’s a safe bet that consumers can look forward to even better cameras at lower prices in the near future.

35mm: Is it Antiquated?
In these modern times, why even use film at all? It’s certainly no secret that film has an unforgiving and often expensive learning curve, and recent trends show that more people prefer digital for just those reasons. After all, when taking pictures at an event like a Super Bowl, would it better to have the potential for thousands of pictures, or just the film you have with you? Sports photographers answered that question by taking over 10,000 digital images in a single Super Bowl game.

However, just as some music enthusiasts claim that everything sounds better on a record, there are plenty of photographers who agree that there is no matching the warmth and familiarity of a fresh roll of film. In fact, developing film manually and printing photos in a darkroom is one of the most rewarding and hands on photography experiences one can have. Sure, photos can be endlessly edited and re-edited using fancy tools like Adobe Photoshop, but clicking a mouse is just very different than the tactile sensations of the darkroom. And of course, having someone else print up a roll of film can take as little as an hour.

And the Winner Is..
Neither! Based on the availability of technology and the vast resources devoted to this topic, there’s really no single point that wins this battle. As with many debates, the winner here is going to be entirely up to the needs and desires of the individual. Families wanting to shoot and print their pictures on the fly may choose digital due to its instant gratification and convenience, while others may stick to good old film so they can print up doubles and put them into family photo frames. No matter what you choose, in the end, people can still easily print out their pictures so they can hang them on the wall in collage picture frames or display them on a desk or dresser in a special unique picture frame.Thanks to powerful yet affordable innovations in digital and the classic, do-it-yourself familiarity of film, the choice is now directly in the hands of the consumer- right where it belongs.