Aperture and Shutter Speed do much more than just correctly expose your photos. If used creatively, they can produce some awesome effects!
This means stepping outside of the Auto Mode box comfort zone but believe me, with a little background knowledge that I’m about to share along with some practice, you’ll be able to do it too.
USING APERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEED CREATIVELY
This is one of my favourite ways of creatively using Aperture and Shutter Speed together. What’s interesting about getting this type of photo is that with the proper settings selected to get this shot, the histogram will say that the scene is very underexposed. But, if we were to expose the scene “correctly” according to the camera in Auto Mode, we wouldn’t get this type of effect. We probably wouldn’t even see the stars at all! So, in order to trick the camera into letting us completely underexpose the photo, we need to use Manual Mode.
Here’s what the histogram looks like for this particular photo. See how high it spikes on the left? Typically, this would mean that my scene is too dark, but it in this case, it’s the creative effect I wanted to create. This is why we need to use Manual Mode!
HOW TO GET THIS SHOT
To get a shot like this, we need a wide open Aperture like something between f/1.4 and f/3.5. The reason for this is because the wider the opening, the more light you’ll be letting into your camera.
Think of your pupil for example. You know how at night, your pupils open up to let as much light as possible into your eye? Well, your camera works the same way! Got it? Perfect! Let’s move onto the Shutter Speed needed to get this effect.
If you had to guess, how long would you say the shutter was open for to get the shot above? If you said 20 seconds, you’re correct!
The reason for selecting such a long Shutter Speed goes hand-in-hand with the note on Aperture above. Basically, we want to let as much light into the camera as possible so that we can see the core of the beautiful Milky Way!
Why not expose it for longer though and let more light in? Well, the longer you expose your photo, the more the stars will seem to move (yes Earth rotates that fast!), and depending on factors like focal length, you’ll begin to see star trails. If you’re wanting to try taking a shot like this, start with the settings I note down below and you may just be blown away by what pops up on the back of your LCD screen.
Milky Way Settings: f/3.5 20 sec ISO 2000 @ 18mm focal length
USING APERTURE CREATIVELY
What’s the first thing you wanted to capture when you opened up that DSLR camera box? Was it that incredibly soft background look? This goes by a few different names, shallow depth of field, bokeh, blurred background… if this is what you’re looking to capture, here’s how to do it!
HOW TO GET THIS SHOT
There are three things that when used in combination, will definitely result in a beautiful photo with a shallow depth of field. The use of these things individually, may give you a good result, but when used all together, you’ll be sure to walk away with a buttery smooth blurred background photo.
These things are:
- Aperture
- Distance to Subject
- Focal Length
APERTURE AND DEPTH
Let’s start with Aperture. Typically, the larger the Aperture, the shallower the depth of field. An Aperture of f/1.4 is more likely to produce a photo with a buttery smooth background than f/13. I know the numbers seem backwards but there is a reason for it, and I go into explaining how F-Stops work in this post if you’re curious.
If you’d like to get that shallow depth of field look, take creative control over your camera by using Aperture Priority Mode or Manual Mode.
DISTANCE TO SUBJECT AND DEPTH
Next up in this wonderful trio of shallow depth of field is Distance to Subject. Let’s say you have some fruit on the table that you want to photograph and about 15 feet in the background is your fireplace. Well if you stand right up close to the fruit, focus on it, then photograph it with the fireplace in the background using an Aperture of say f/8, the fireplace in the background will be blurred.
Now, if you were to use the exact same camera settings, back up 5 feet, and take the same shot with the focus being on the fruit, the background won’t be quite as blurred. This is because, the closer your are to your subject, the shallower the depth of field. The further you are from your subject, the larger the depth of field.
FOCAL LENGTH AND DEPTH
Lastly, we have focal length. Telephoto lenses work great for creating that shallow depth of field look as opposed to wide-angle lenses for one particular reason. Just as zooming in magnifies the subject in focus, it also magnifies the soft background. For more information on focal lengths, check out this post. I’ve included some visuals to help along the way.
In summary, getting that shallow depth of field can be achieved using the right Aperture, distance to subject and focal length. Individually, these elements can create a good effect, but if you can combine all three, you’ll be sure to walk away with a beautifully soft background photo like the pros!
USING SHUTTER SPEED CREATIVELY
Although I do love the bokeh (or soft background) effect, I get as giddy as a little school girl when I see a silky smooth waterfall pop up on the back of my LCD screen.
HOW TO GET THIS SHOT
The key to achieving a shot like this is to use a long Shutter Speed. I like to use 1/4 second, 2 seconds and 20 seconds for my waterfall shots. 1/4 second works great if the water is moving in many directions, like the shot above because it gives the photo of texture and motion. Great for drawing in the viewer’s eye!
20 seconds works great, like this shot, to make the water look like glass. Play around with your camera though because the opportunities are endless! I’ve taken waterfall photos that were 2 minute exposures and the foggy vibe it creates makes the image look like it’s from another world!
To take creative control over the Shutter Speed, try using Shutter Priority Mode or Manual Mode.
By slowing down your shutter speed, you can get some awesome photos of star trails, stretched out clouds, vehicle tail light trails, smooth ocean or waterfall shots, moon trails (yes I said moon trails) and the list goes on. The only limit is truly your imagination!
If you really want to make your photos stand out, this is the way to do it. Just step out of that Auto Mode box and practice with things like the tips I’ve noted above. You’ll find your confidence start to take off and you’ll have creative control in no time!
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