Aperture

The Aperture setting on a camera, is responsible for adjusting how wide the opening of the lens is, therefore will dictate how much light will enter the camera. A shallow depth of field means that the lens will be open wider, whereas a deep depth of field, will result in a narrower opening.

Aperture value is represented in terms of f/number; a lower value indicates a shallow depth of field and vice versa. For example, f/2.8 will result in a fraction of the frame being in focus, as opposed to f/22, which will ensure that a majority of the shot is in focus. Depending on the lens used, varying aperture settings will be available. Macro and telephoto lenses will allow a larger aperture, as opposed to standard lenses, some allowing an f/stop value of f/1.4 or f/2.8.

Using a shallow depth of field, means that there can be one significant area of focus, creating a more atmospheric and intimate feel to the shot. For my own example, using an aperture setting of f/2.8 with a telephoto lens, I chose to focus on something insignificant in size, in order to create the desired blurred background, to really exaggerate the shallow depth of field. The colourful background produced an enticing mosaic of hues, however did not distract from the predominant subject, within the foreground. In order to perfect this video further, I would chose to shoot it with the use of a tripod, in order to reduce camera shake and ensure maximum clarity.

 

I also experimented with using a slightly smaller aperture, just to identify and highlight the minor distinctions. Using f/5.6 with the use of a standard lens, again produced a shallow depth of field, with a selective proportion of the frame in focus however in comparison to the previous example, the large aperture was not so visually drastic.



A wide angle lens is typically used to capture vast shots that have multiple, significant details in them, such as landscapes. Therefore, a small aperture setting would be relevant in order to keep a majority, if not all, of the frame in focus. An f/stop value ranging from f/11 to f/22 would suffice.
For my visual example, I experimented with f/22 I incorporated the compositional quality of rule of thirds, in order to make full use of the foreground, mid-ground and background, presenting me with more visual elements to keep in focus.



Overall, the most difficult aspect of this task, was ensuring that all my videos had been captured with the correct exposure. By varying the aperture settings, I had to adjust the shutter speed and ISO accordingly; for the shots with the deeper depth of field, I increased the ISO without allowing the shot to become noticeably grainy and reduced the shutter speed to compensate for the overall reduction in exposure. Similarly, for the large aperture examples, it was difficult to keep the shots from becoming overexposed, as a result of such a shallow depth of field, therefore I had to correct the levels in post production.