Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers

72 Working with Aperture

When Aperture Doesn’t Matter

When Aperture Doesn’t Matter

When you’ve said, “Sometimes the aperture doesn’t

matter,” what more can you add? If aperture doesn’t

matter, it just doesn’t matter. But the question is: In

what situations does the aperture not matter?

Aperture doesn’t matter when depth of field doesn’t

matter. But even if depth of field doesn’t matter, you

may be compelled to select a particular aperture when

shutter speed is an issue because either the subject is

in motion or the camera is unsteady. Take a look at

Chapter 3 to learn more about this topic.

Depth of field doesn’t matter when a photo is entirely

in focus at infinity (and you are focused at infinity).

In every other case, there’s a strong possibility that

depth of field and aperture really do matter. So pay at-

tention to them!

To sum it up: When you are focused at infinity, and

your subject is entirely at infinity, there’s no concern

about depth of field and therefore aperture doesn’t

matter unless the exposure equation (because of shut-

t

er speed considerations) in fact compels a choice of

aperture.

Of

course, there are a great many situations that meet

the criterion of being entirely in focus at infinity, such

as distant landscapes and photos of buildings in cities.

You should make a point of recognizing these situa-

t

ions so