Understanding Aperture via Pioneer Woman
When I first started out in the World of Photography, nearly two and a half years ago, I was really confused on what some of the key terms meant. Words like Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO were all so confusing and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I didn’t find definitions of those words in my camera’s manual yet the book kept using them over and over again. It took some time and patience on my part to seek out and and understand what those terms meant and what their practical applications were.
If you are in the same boat and are seeking to figure out what those terms mean, you can find some answers on Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman’s photography site. She has reposted a four part series explaining, in great detail with examples of what Aperture and Shutter Speed mean.
You can find Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four at each of these links.
I’m kind of taking the lazy mom’s way out here by pointing you to someone else’s hard work instead of taking the time to explain in my own words. However, if you still have questions or want my take on it, leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll be glad to talk about it. You can always email me at MomShots@yahoo.com.
As a side note, I’m really excited by all the responses I’ve gotten about this new 52 week project. Let’s work together to keep each other motivated! I’ll be posting my weeks here to help remind and motivate you.
Obligatory MomShot… This photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post. I just think it’s kind of cute because Ulysses is being such a tough guy and is all decked out in Nerf gear. I can’t very well have a MomShots post without including a MomShot, can I? 
Shutter Speed: 1/200, Aperture: f5.0, Focal Length: 58mm, ISO: 640
February 7th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Although you say that the photo didn’t have anything to do with the article, I think it’s a good example of the creative use of aperature. Where the aperature is at a lower setting and the focus is on the Nerf gun - that’s a a good example of the use of aperature. Had the aperature been set at say f11 or so, then the nerf gun and the boy’s face would both be in focus… and maybe you don’t want that for this particular shot. The ISO and shutter speed are also noteworthy being that this is an indoor/low light setting.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Aww.. super cute!! Thanks for the links too.. I’m gonna check them out now. : )
February 8th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Good call, Dean. Good call. I totally missed the relevance of the photo. I was fixated on my son’s cuteness. I must have had my “mom” blinders on!
February 9th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
[...] Step 2: Open up your aperture. By that I mean, turn your aperture setting to the lowest number your lens will allow you to go. If you are wondering what aperture is, I think of it as how open my camera’s “eye” is. The lower the number, the wider the opening in your lens is and more light is allowed in. There are other factors that come into play with this, like depth of field, but I don’t want to worry about that right now. We can discuss at a later date. Check out this post if you want more details about what aperture is. [...]