Aperture priority is a shooting mode that lets the photographer choose the aperture. The camera then automatically selects a shutter speed to match based on the available light. Learn how aperture priority mode gives you control over depth of field.
In this post, we’ll cover:
What Is Aperture Priority?
Aperture priority is a shooting mode that lets the photographer choose the aperture. The camera then automatically selects a shutter speed to match based on the available light.
Sometimes referred to as an f-stop, aperture determines how much light will hit the camera’s sensor. It also determines how many elements within a single image will be in focus. In addition, aperture determines how much depth of field an image will have.
Most camera brands put the camera in aperture priority mode by switching the mode dial to A. Canon cameras list aperture priority mode under Av on the mode dial.
Pictures taken with wide-open aperture will have shallow depth of field. A picture made with a stopped-down aperture will have a deeper depth of field.
How Aperture Priority Works
Aperture priority is a mode that falls between fully auto and manual mode. Novice photographers can learn a lot in aperture priority mode because it helps you understand how aperture and shutter speed work together to create an image.
Setting the Aperture
In aperture priority mode, the photographer picks the aperture setting or f-stop on the lens, then the camera adjusts shutter speed based on available light.
On vintage lenses and Fujifilm lenses, you can select the aperture on the lens barrel of the camera. With any other brand, you can make changes to the aperture on the lens through the camera body.
Camera’s Role in Exposure
To see how aperture priority mode works in real time, set your camera’s lens to a stopped down aperture—anything above f/8—and take a picture.
Now, take a picture of the exact same subject with the aperture of the lens wide open. We suggest selecting the smallest number that’s available with the gear that you’re using.
Take a look at the metadata on these two images. If the subject is the same, looking at them side by side will give you a good idea how the camera is automatically selecting a shutter speed to create a perfectly exposed image.
The image taken with the aperture wide open will have a faster shutter speed because you were allowing more light to hit the camera’s sensor. However, that wide open aperture means that less elements within the frame will be in focus.
The picture taken with the stopped-down aperture will have a slower shutter speed, yet more elements within the frame will be in focus.
Tips for Mastering Aperture Priority
Shooting in aperture priority mode is a great tool for understanding just how aperture influences the look of your pictures and how it interacts with shutter speed. Here are a few pro tips. . . .
1. Experiment with Different Aperture Settings
As with any piece of technical gear, the best way to understand aperture is to experiment.
If you’re shooting with a tripod and have a little bit of patience, you can see how different lens apertures will decide what shutter speed the camera chooses and how this will influence the look and feel of the photo overall.
If you are just getting started with photography, aperture priority mode is a powerful tool for learning how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together to nail exposure.
Photos that are taken with wider apertures are more likely to have a bokeh effect—a dreamy focus fall-off that is favored by certain portrait photographers. Photos taken with higher apertures will have what’s called deeper focus and keep more elements tack sharp.
2. Balance ISO and Shutter Speed
As you experiment with aperture settings, don’t lose track of ISO and shutter speed. The aperture setting tells the camera how much light to let in. Shutter speed determines how long that light is allowed to hit the camera’s sensor. ISO sets how sensitive to light the camera’s sensor will be.
A higher ISO is best for shooting late at night or in dimly-lit spaces, while a lower ISO is ideal for shooting outside on a sunny day.
As you increase the ISO on your camera, you will increase grain, but if your ISO is too low, your shutter speed may also have to drop to a super slow speed to achieve a decent exposure.
And, at a certain point, you may need to worry about introducing camera shake or not being able to freeze the action in front of you.
3. Understand the Exposure Triangle
The exposure triangle refers to how ISO, shutter speed, and aperture work together to create perfectly exposed pictures.
Each of these camera settings and how they’re adjusted will influence the overall look of an image.
As previously mentioned, aperture controls the level of depth of field in an image. Shutter speed determines if action is frozen or blurred. ISO settings influence how much or how little digital noise or film grain are present in a final image.
Understanding the exposure triangle will help you figure out how much light you want to hit your camera’s sensor, for how long, and how sensitive you want the sensor to be to that light.
Nailing exposures will be slightly different for every photographer given the particular aesthetics they are going for, but knowing how to capture a perfectly balanced and exposed image will make it much easier to break the rules down the line.
License this image via Arkadius Koldar.
When to Use Aperture Priority
So, is it better just to shoot in manual mode if you want to master the exposure triangle? The answer depends a lot on what you are shooting.
Although manual is the only other camera mode that allows you to fully control the lens aperture, there are scenarios where shooting in aperture priority is preferred—even by the pros.
Ideal Situations for Aperture Priority
Aperture priority mode is most useful when you aren’t dealing with fast moving subjects and your lighting is inconsistent. Here are a few example situations. . . .
Portrait Photography
Capturing portraits is a great opportunity to work in aperture priority mode, and to see how different lens apertures have a creative effect on the finished product.
Portraits that are shot with a wide open aperture can take on a dreamy effect by adding bokeh. Portraits shot with higher-apertures can be good for capturing the subject in their environment or for a more editorial look.
Landscape Photography
Shooting landscapes with a tripod can be useful for aperture priority mode as well. For most landscape photographers, shooting in aperture priority mode can make the process slightly more efficient because the shutter speed doesn’t necessarily have to freeze any sort of action.
Lighting conditions are going to be constantly changing throughout the day, which is why landscape photographers benefit from aperture priority mode because the shutter speed will just adjust to whatever the available light in a given scene is.
Aperture priority mode can also be useful for astrophotography for similar reasons.
Street Photography
Aperture priority mode is also a good choice for street photography because it frees up your mind to focus on composition rather than your camera’s settings.
Street photographers are often moving quickly between locations and dealing with a variety of different lighting scenarios.
Pro tip: Keep the camera’s aperture set around f/8 to keep several elements within a single frame in focus while you work.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistakes when shooting in aperture priority mode are forgetting the basics of the exposure triangle.
Although aperture priority can be helpful in automatically setting your shutter speed, don’t neglect your ISO settings. Adjust the sensitivity of ISO to avoid pictures that are overly noisy.
Keep an eye on the shutter speeds the camera is automatically selecting and make sure it’s not so low that it is introducing unwanted blur or camera shake into your shots.
License this image via Melanie Hobson.
Pros of Using Aperture Priority
For many photographers, aperture priority is a great stepping stone to understanding the exposure triangle. It can also be less intimidating than jumping right into manual mode.
Here are some reasons why it can be so beneficial:
Creative Control Over Depth of Field
Shooting in aperture priority mode is the most seamless way to control depth of field without having to fiddle too much with other settings.
Shallow vs. Deep Focus
Photos with shallow focus isolate the subject of a picture by blurring elements in the background or the foreground. Shallow focus pictures are shot using a wide-open aperture and often have a dreamy, surreal quality to them.
Deep focus pictures keep everything in the frame in focus to create visual density. Photos that have deep focus are shot by using an aperture that has been stopped-down. Pictures with deep focus tend to be more immersive or even have a hyper-realistic feel.
Simplifying Exposure in Changing Light
Aperture priority is a great tool when lighting conditions are changing rapidly because it can automatically evaluate how the light has changed and compensate for it by adjusting the shutter speed.
Quick Adjustments for Dynamic Scenes
Imagine you are shooting an outdoor event on a bright, sunny day while a highly anticipated performer is about to take the stage and you are focused on getting reaction shots of the crowd when they do. Right as they walk out, a giant cloud moves in and blocks the sun, immediately changing the lighting scenario you were anticipating.
If you are in aperture priority mode, rather than changing three different settings, you only have to open the lens on your aperture a few stops to capture the scene. Everything else will automatically follow suit.
Ultimately, shooting in aperture priority mode means that you can focus on capturing the scene unfolding in front of you.
License this cover image via Sergey Nemirovsky.
This post was originally published onNovember 13, 2024
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