Hi ladies and gents,
First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊

While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature settings wrong, in that I always used apature as a way to control the cameras ability to shoot in low/bright lighting situations, understanding depth of field is a function of this setting.

I do understand there are lighting situations where you must compomise, and may have to use a lower/higher f-stop to get the exposure right, while forgoing depth of field considerations.

I quess my question is, do most of you approach apature from a depth of field perspective FIRST, and then s. speed and ISO second, if possible, to provide proper exposure while in apature priority?

Thank you in advance, for trying to stuff, more stuff in my thick skull.

I evaluate the scene, first. How MUCH light do I have to work with? This primarily determines how low my ISO setting can be (although I may RAISE ISO when I need more depth of field, or a shorter shutter speed to stop action). If the scene is dim, and I can add light practically, and without disturbing my subjects, I do.

Next, what is IN the scene? What is my subject? Do I want to stop movement or blur movement? Do I want to isolate a subject from the background, or do I need lots of depth of field to keep everyone or everything sharp?

To stop motion, I need a short shutter speed. How short depends upon the subject's speed, direction, and proximity to my camera (really, relative size in the image).
To blur motion, I need a long-ish shutter speed. How long depends on how much blur I want.

To isolate a subject from a background, I can use a long lens combined with a large aperture and perhaps a large sensor camera. To keep everything sharp, I need a shorter lens, combined with a smaller aperture, and maybe a small sensor camera.

Life is full of tradeoffs. Raising ISO increases noise (digital grain), and reduces color depth and dynamic range. But you can work in LOWER LIGHT CONDITIONS, or use a faster shutter speed, or use a smaller aperture.

Shortening a shutter speed requires either higher ISO, MORE LIGHT, or a wider aperture. Lengthening shutter speed allows a lower ISO, or the use of less light, or the use of a smaller aperture.

Using a wider lens aperture lets me work in LESS LIGHT, or use a faster shutter speed, or use a lower ISO.

With aperture, you're also affecting lens performance. Only a few pro lenses perform really well wide open. Most lenses benefit from being stopped down one to three stops. Beyond three stops down, performance usually suffers from some ailment. The smaller the aperture, and the smaller the tiny sensor sites on the sensor, the more diffraction you get. Diffraction limits sharpness.

With EXPERIENCE and TESTING, you learn just what works for your style of work, and you learn just how far you can push the boundaries.

It is always a great idea to test equipment with a controlled scene (constant light, fixed subjects, etc.) and learn from the resulting images. What you learn that way can help you get the results you seek MUCH FASTER than guessing. When testing, alter only ONE variable at a time, until you have varied ALL variables at ALL settings. This can take hours, but it saves hundreds of hours making errors, guessing, and being frustrated.

Hi ladies and gents,
First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊

While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature settings wrong, in that I always used apature as a way to control the cameras ability to shoot in low/bright lighting situations, understanding depth of field is a function of this setting.

I do understand there are lighting situations where you must compomise, and may have to use a lower/higher f-stop to get the exposure right, while forgoing depth of field considerations.

I quess my question is, do most of you approach apature from a depth of field perspective FIRST, and then s. speed and ISO second, if possible, to provide proper exposure while in apature priority?

Thank you in advance, for trying to stuff, more stuff in my thick skull.

You ask about a group you called "most of you" .... Most of
these "Online Experts" are not worth asking. You, by luck or
by smarts, already have it exactly right. You got the concept
and you realize about the frequent need to strike some sort
of a compromise.

Don't let any Online Experts try to bewilder you with their
mindlessly parroted elaborations. At this point the thread is
at 3 pages long. Stoooooopidity ! All anyone need to say ...
emphasis on ALL ... is "yup, you got it". So ignore 3 pages
of worthless hot air. Keep calm and carry on !

.

Hi ladies and gents,
First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊

While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature settings wrong, in that I always used apature as a way to control the cameras ability to shoot in low/bright lighting situations, understanding depth of field is a function of this setting.

I do understand there are lighting situations where you must compomise, and may have to use a lower/higher f-stop to get the exposure right, while forgoing depth of field considerations.

I quess my question is, do most of you approach apature from a depth of field perspective FIRST, and then s. speed and ISO second, if possible, to provide proper exposure while in apature priority?

Thank you in advance, for trying to stuff, more stuff in my thick skull.

Hi ladies and gents,
First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊

While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature settings wrong, in that I always used apature as a way to control the cameras ability to shoot in low/bright lighting situations, understanding depth of field is a function of this setting.

I do understand there are lighting situations where you must compomise, and may have to use a lower/higher f-stop to get the exposure right, while forgoing depth of field considerations.

I quess my question is, do most of you approach apature from a depth of field perspective FIRST, and then s. speed and ISO second, if possible, to provide proper exposure while in apature priority?

Thank you in advance, for trying to stuff, more stuff in my thick skull.

Hi ladies and gents,
First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊

While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature settings wrong, in that I always used apature as a way to control the cameras ability to shoot in low/bright lighting situations, understanding depth of field is a function of this setting.

I do understand there are lighting situations where you must compomise, and may have to use a lower/higher f-stop to get the exposure right, while forgoing depth of field considerations.

I quess my question is, do most of you approach apature from a depth of field perspective FIRST, and then s. speed and ISO second, if possible, to provide proper exposure while in apature priority?

Thank you in advance, for trying to stuff, more stuff in my thick skull.