| Digital cameras support many photo shooting modes | | | | known as shallow) depth of field on the other hand |
| - from automatic point and shoot to manual where | | | | means that the photo is in focus only from a certain |
| the camera does nothing for you. One of those | | | | distance from the camera to another distance which |
| modes is Aperture Priority. Aperture priority is useful | | | | is not further away (or in other words the photo is in |
| in many situations and deserves a short explanation | | | | focus just around a certain object that is being |
| of what it is and how to use it. | | | | photographed). The rest of the objects in the photo |
| You set the Aperture priority mode by using the | | | | are out of focus appearing as blurred objects. |
| camera menus on its LCD in which case you need to | | | | The wider the aperture value (the f number |
| browse and choose Aperture priority from the | | | | decreases) the narrower (shallower) the depth of |
| menus or by rotating a modes dial in which case you | | | | field and vice versa: the narrower the aperture value |
| choose Aperture priority by its symbolic icon (in most | | | | (the f number increases) the deeper the depth of |
| cases Aperture priority is symbolized by a capital | | | | field. Just remember that the depth of field changes |
| ‘A'). | | | | along with the f number: when the f number |
| In Aperture priority mode you manually set the | | | | increases the depth of field increases and vice versa. |
| aperture value. The camera takes care of everything | | | | A common use for manually controlling the aperture |
| else - for example it sets the optimal shutter speed | | | | value and achieving a narrow depth of field is when |
| for the aperture you chose. There are physical | | | | taking portrait photos and trying to blur the |
| limitations and not every aperture value that you | | | | background behind of the portrait object. |
| choose can be matched by other settings that will | | | | As always the best way to understand what you |
| result in a good photo. The camera will let you know | | | | can do with different aperture settings is to |
| by flashing a green LED or in some other way (check | | | | experiment. In this way you will get a feeling of what |
| its manual for more details) if it found the optimal | | | | aperture values translate to what depth of field. It is |
| settings that work with your chosen aperture value. | | | | important to understand though that the depth of |
| So why bother setting the aperture value manually | | | | field depends not only on the aperture value but also |
| when you can have the camera set it for you? One | | | | on the object distance from the camera and the |
| good reason is to control the depth of field. Depth of | | | | lenses that are used. With digital camera |
| field is defined as the range in which the photo is in | | | | experimenting is free and immediate as there is no |
| focus. For example an infinite depth of field means | | | | film development cost and you can review your |
| that the photo is in focus from a certain distance | | | | photos instantaneously. |
| from the camera and up to infinity. A narrow (also | | | | |