changing aperture

[sam_vish]

<blockquote>

I am a beginner photographer,trying to understand while shooting the shallow depth of field, when I kept aperture low, my images came out good but im trying to understand when do we want to change apertures in what situations?

I am having canon rebel t3i camera

</blockquote>

[Former P.N Member]

<p>Lots of good information and answers to both your posts under the 'Learning' tab at the top of the page. Basic photography techniques are a good place to start - <a href="/learn/photography-technique/">http://www.photo.net/learn/photography-technique/</a></p>

[newmanuk]

Welcome Vineela to Photo net.Agree with Dick That's an easy to understand learning path. If you have any more questions, let us know. Look forward to your involvement here. Regards miken

[craig_shearman1]

<p>You want the aperture wide open or close to it (2.8, for example) for generally two reasons. 1) for shallow depth of field so the background is not distracting, 2) when you are in low light and you don't have any choice.<br>

You want the aperture stopped down (f/16 for example) when you want to get everything in focus, such as a large group of people, a landscape, etc. Or when you are in a very bright situation or don't have any choice.<br /><br />Settings in between have various purposes both technical and creative.</p>

[goldbergbarry]

<p>Really good question. There is also a great book called Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. He does an amazing job at teaching the exact question that you are asking.</p>

[steven_clark]

<p>It's worth noting that the middle of the aperture range usually delivers the sharpest pictures. The joking 1st piece of advice for photography is "f/8 and be there". A lens on a 35mm camera will usually be best at the f/8 aperture setting, f/5.6 and f/11 are probably pretty close too. None of this may matter if you are holding the camera in your hands as people always shake a tiny bit and don't notice, in which case more open (lower f/ number) is better as it allows a faster shutter speed.</p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

"f/8 and be there" is not just a joke, it is bad advice too. Use the aperture as Craig described, and do not waste those creative opportunities because of a joke.