Aperture control

For our second assignment we were asked to take four photographs, but this time, we had to concentrate on the aperture and shutter settings. The photos had to be taken using: a fast shutter speed, a slow shutter speed, a wide aperture and a narrow aperture.

Narrow Depth Of Field

  

 

For this photograph I wanted to isolate the subject, so that you could clearly see just how narrow the depth of field was. In order to achieve this, I set-up a backdrop using a white piece of A2 paper, then placed the apple far enough forward that the aperture would render the backdrop as one continuous colour. Because my standard lens wouldn't allow me to focus properly this close to the apple, I replaced it with my macro lens. I placed the camera on my tripod and again used the timer mode to minimise the level of movement. Using the natural light from a nearby window, meant I could use a fast shutter speed of 1/250, which also helped to keep the level of movement down. To get the correct depth of field I set the camera with an aperture of F4.5.

Wide Depth Of Field

With this photo, I needed to illustrate a wide depth of field. I decided on a landscape picture, because it would provide a mixture of foreground and background interest. I composed the picture so that the path and angle of the trees would lead the eye towards the back of the frame. Because of the shade provided by the tree canopy and the fact it was a relatively dark day, I placed my camera on a tripod and set the shutter speed to 2.5 seconds. To get the wide depth of field, I set the aperture to F22.

Fast Shutter Speed 

Although I had originally intended to freeze a car in motion, or a bird in flight, the weather was against me yet again! I therefore decided to use my new home studio, where I would have more control over the amount of light. With the help of my dad and a tennis ball, I was able to get the required shot. I placed the camera on a tripod, switched the flash on and set a shutter speed of 1/125. A wide aperture of F4.5, also helped to let in more light.

Slow Shutter Speed

 

For the final photograph, we had to use a slow shutter speed to blur a subject whilst it was in motion. I went to a local park, which I knew had a fast flowing river and located an area with rocks, as I thought they would provide an interesting counterpoint to the blurred water. Because the task required a slow shutter speed, I once again set the camera on a tripod and used the cameras timer function. To blur the motion of the water, I set the shutter to 1/4 of a second, then decided on an aperture of F11, so that the rocks would all be in focus.

Light Trails

As I had completed the task quite quickly, I decided to try and use a slow shutter speed to capture the light trails of late night traffic. Setting up my camera and tripod on a bridge overlooking the motorway, I set a long exposure of 30 seconds and an aperture of F11. The medium aperture would help to ensure the long trails would remain in focus. Like the woodland path in the earlier photo, I tried to compose the picture, so that the light trails led the eye in to the picture, and the light of the nearby town, would provide some interest at the top of the picture.