Understanding Aperture

Image source http://photography.tutsplus.com/

It took me a bit of time to understand aperture and the whole f/number system, but it worth investing time to understand it as it is one of the core elements in photography, so here we go!

Let's first look at the definition of Aperture (measured in f-stops)- Aperture is the size of opening in the lens, which determines how much light will get through and fall onto the sensor of the camera given an amount of time (shutter speed). The lens in some sense is like the pupil of our eyes, in bight locations our pupil automatically have a smaller opening as there is enough light for us to see clearly, and in dark location our pupil will open up to allow more light to get through. If you have a cat you will probably understand the relationship between pupil opening size and available light!

In another word, in a low light situation, the faster (shutter speed) we want our camera to identify what is in front of it, the bigger the lens opening (aperture) is needed. If the opening of the lens is small, then we will need to allow longer time for the camera to identify the object in front of it. Think about it as in waking up in the midnight going to the bathroom....lol if we turn on the light we can find our way to the bathroom almost immediately, but if we let the light out then it will take some time to go to the bathroom without bumping into things around.

Ok, now it is the whole fraction system that is most confusing (especially I am not a math person!). If you love food like I do, I've got a way here to understand it LOL! Now let's think about a whole big 24" yummy supreme pizza - we are in charge of cutting it, so if we want super large piece then we might just cut it in half (f/2) and then we will get 2 big pieces of pizza. If we are not that that hungry or of you are like me trying to lose some weight, then we want a smaller piece - so let's go to an extreme and cut the pizza into 22 pieces (f/22) and now we have a tiny piece of pizza. So think about it as less cuts of the pizza (smaller f/number) - bigger piece of pizza (bigger opening of the lens) and vice versa.

I hope this is helpful to some of us trying to understand aperture, later on we shall look at Depth of Field :)

Let's keep learning!

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 15 | Wishes

Week 15 | Wishes
If you have a wish...what would that be?

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 14 | Determination

Week 14 | Determination
It takes courage to be determined, but once we are determined, determination gives us courage.

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 13 | The Moment

Week 13 | The Moment
Many beautiful things in life are not planned...just follow your heart...and it will tell you where to go...

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 12 | Shine Through - in a stormy day

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 11 | Embrace

"Feel beautiful the way you are...for we are all beautiful in our unique way..."

Another addition to the 26 week B & W ! :):) Slowly progressing...I am so happy to have family and friends who are so supportive towards my passion for photography. You all have gave me energy to keep going :):) Definitely more models wanted :D:D

Portrait - Tash

What a lucky day we had yesterday! The sky was dark and a storm was about to come, kept looking at bom and there was no rain in the heart of Brisbane. We kept praying for no rain for a little while more and it was sunny for the 2 hours or so we were at the University of Queensland (and then it started to rain again)! Very thankful :D:D!

It was a really fun afternoon and this is the most beautiful pair of eyes that I have ever seen! :):)

Behind the scene : a duckie (?) kept looking at us on the day and it actually wagged its tail when we were looking at it..and followed us when we get moving!! lol

Self taught photographer series - What is ISO?

Although I am not sure if there are people following my blog *grin*, but I am going to share what I learnt about photography here. We do not necessarily need take a course to learn something (although it surly helps), all we need is passion and determination. There are so many self-taught photographers out there and there are so much to learn from them. It is not going to be a regular post but whenever I dig into whatever, I will share them around, no guarantee that I will be all correct but let's learn together  - please do correct me if I am wrong! :):)

ISO is probably one of the first few things that we would wonder about when coming to photography. So here we go -

ISO stands for International Standards Organization (well I didn't believe it at first but after some research it seems to be true...sound kind of business like...my Operation Management teacher at school would probably be very excited about ISO...lol). ISO gives state of specifications of a certain product / service. I would take ISO in photography as the specification of how sensitive the image sensor / film is to the light source - based on the ISO setting (standard) we desire.

Photographers who are very much into film photography would know a lot about ISO, as there is only one ISO setting per roll! My mum used to get ISO 200 films most of the time for everyday photos. Now we have digital cameras where literally every picture can have a different ISO setting - a lot more flexible!

Professional DSLR cameras on the market nowadays support ISO range from around 100-51,200. Generally speaking, the weaker the light source, the higher the ISO setting tend to be used to keep shutter speed in a reasonable level. However, the lowest possible ISO setting should be used in a given light source to get the best image quality possible.

So why higher ISO setting will result in more noise in the pictures in digital camera? It is because the actual sensitivity of the sensor can't be changed. When the ISO setting is high, the signal from pixels will be amplified by adding electronic gain, to allow the pixels on the sensor to 'see better' under low light condition, and this results in more noise in the photo (Real World Digital Photography, 2011). There are a lot of suggestions around about avoiding high ISO setting but it is also worthwhile to think about how are we going to use the image - is it going to be just a small print that the noise will probably be not too disturbing? Is it going to be a Black and White picture which sometimes a grainy picture is a plus? Is it the situation when freezing the moment is more important than anything else? In an uncontrolled environment, I would probably just press the shutter first and we will go from there...lol

ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed are closely related to each other. Let's look into the other two next. :):)

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 10 | Smile

Oh my! My first portrait session in Brisbane since 2 and a half years ago?? I was quite nervous before the shoot to be honest...not familiar with the location and just feeling stiff! I am very very thankful to my friend Kim who is just a natural model, with very beautiful eyes :):) This is taken outdoor in a park under a covered sitting area, there wasn't much cloud in the sky and I was worried that the light is gonna be too harsh, luckily there were some shaded area and the lovely white background in the sitting area were just great! Had a really fun morning! :):)

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 9 | The Classic

Vintage cars are all very special in their own way, they are all so beautiful that we can spend hours and hours just admiring them! This is one of the many beautiful vintage car that we saw during the visit to Toowoomba last week, how gorgeous! How amazing are their owners who is taking such wonderful care of these cars!

First impression - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f2.8

Obviously I didn't know what I am getting when the decision was made to purchase a camera package...I was mainly wanting to get a new camera body as my old and faithful canon 1000D has a dot of dust on the sensor which we couldn't quite get rid of, and it is adding extra "effect" to the picture...which is not so desirable...

This lovely lens comes in with the bundle and I didn't bother to look into it too much at that time...thinking hmmm prime lens - Yes! / f2.8 - Yes! / 50mm - Yes! / manual focus - Ummmmmmm not so sure / manufactured in the 70's - What????

I had a canon 50mm f1.8 and unfortunately it was dropped on the sand one day on the beach, it wouldn't work well 100% after that and this is a good replacement.

So this vintage-looking lens joined the lens family and I am totally amazed at how well it performs although I have only played with it for a few times.I use it on my canon 600D with an adapter to take the below and they work nicely together. More pictures will be shared in the future! If you are thinking whether you should go ahead with this lens, it is definitely a Yes!

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 8 | Fundamental

The weather is getting warm and it is time for the rose to bloom! How nice is it to photograph beautiful flower with lovely curvy pedals. This is a picture of a rose's receptacle - the fundamental part to support a flower to bloom beautifully. It has its own pretty shape and texture, yet not highly recognized as the pretty flower gets the attention mostly...

This picture is taken by my Canon Kit Lens 18-55mm with a +10 Macro filter. I am really amazed with the Macro filter that we've got, although the image is not as nice as the ones taken by a Macro lens, it is definitely a very cheap alternative to satisfy my Macro need...lol

The 26 weeks B&W Project - Week 7 | The Frame

A nice walk in the evening by the seaside is always enjoyable, the lovely fresh breeze, the smell of the ocean and the gentle sunlight....

Wohoo...Finally I have some peace and space in mind to continue the journey with my camera again...Got a new set of camera from hubby a few months ago, got my reflectors and most exciting of all - I got my photo book in my hands!! Too many excuses in the past not to do this and that and now I say "enough" to those excuses.

Sick at home today and couldn't do much, so just organized the photos in the computer and getting ready to resume my black and white 26 weeks!

Got the logos done finally :):) What do you think? :):)  Have been thinking about a few words that I feel towards photos so came up with The Moment . The Image . The Memory...Chauses Photography...hahaha well I hope it doesn't sound too weird. I always feel grateful when looking at photos and glad that I have taken them. It is not like we can't remember those very special moments but in such details, I think only photos can tell...so my photography is about turning those special moments into images and memories. :):)

The 26 weeks B&W project - Week 6 | Footprints

Leave our footprints and take the memories...

Isn't time flies quickly? It's another week again and the middle of April has arrived already! When I was small I always wanted to grow up quickly, so that people around will treat me like an adult and believe in my capability to take good care of myself. My mum told me that as we grow older, time seems to pass by quicker, and, I can't agree more. 

Last week we took the chance and went to Sunshine Coast, the weather forecast said there would be a few showers and we came across some rain on the way. To our delight the rain stopped when we arrived the beach and remained dry until we were on the way home!

It wasn't the intention to take the footprints on the sand but they caught my eyes when I was looking back at the pictures. Every step we've taken took us to where we are, and footprints are left with every step we take. There are footprints for us to learn from and follow, and never fear to leave footprints on ground that no one has been to before.

The 26 weeks B&W project - Week 5 | The Silent Guide

It was my first time visiting a lighthouse (and NSW)! Thanks to my hubby who drove for a total of 4 hours during Easter Monday and brought me to Byron Bay. The scenic there was just wonderful, beach with very fine sand, comfortable wind and lovely shopping area around.

We are glad to have visited Byron Bay since the decision was made 'not-so-early' in the morning, we planned to get going at around 7am weather permitted the day before, but the weather was just too nice to sleep in, and we have started our journey at 11 after a bowl of 'yummy' oat for breakfast with further research on the destination. We thought it's gonna rain according to the weather forecast so we weren't too sure about the trip earlier, but it was sunny all day long! We have parked our car close to the lighthouse which costed AUD 7 per hour, when we've got home and took another look at the ticket, we were glad to know that the money will go to the maintenance of the lighthouse!

It is a destination that worth visiting again!

The 26 weeks B&W project - Week 4 | The Hearts

Happy Easter everyone! This is going to be my first Easter spent in Australia, supermarkets and shops are full of Easter Bunnies, chocolate eggs, and countless cute stuff toys since last month! It is definitely a festive occasion here!

Our buddies are truly our spoilers! This is one of the many lovely wedding gifts from wonderful friends, thanks to Meibo, I like it so much!

The 26 weeks B&W project - Week 3 | A Cup Of...

Clouds of smoke and wall of blue caught my eyes when husband and I walked along Arab Street in Singapore - A Turkish cafe with lots of customers sitting at the outdoor tables around the street corner, enjoying their Hookah with their friends, and we were the only 'special' customers without a Hookah next to our table. I wasn't so much into coffee when I visited Turkey long ago - people said that I've got to try out Turkish Coffee whether I like coffee or not, it's just not the normal cup of coffee. Seeing the very dark color of coffee in a tiny cup, I hesitated and missed out the chance back then.

Since then I have started to drink coffee once in a while, and it was sort of a must-have companion in my university time. Perhaps it's like what my parents have told me - as I grow, I will appreciate the bitterness from coffee and bitter gourd.

Turkish Coffee is a bit bitter, but it tastes good. Give it a try!

The 26 weeks B&W project - Week 2 | Expression

'Simplicity is the glory of expression.' ~Walts Whitman

Week 2! We came across this special plant during the recent Singapore trip, the picture was taken at Singapore Zoo. I admire the unique curves that plants possess, they are simple yet elegant. 

It has been a wet week in Brisbane (no flooding, finger crossed), good for the plants! I am still waiting for the Calla Lily to bloom so that I can take some pictures of it, hmmm still not blooming yet after a few months, perhaps it's time to shop for other types of fertilizer for it!

The 26 weeks B&W project - Week 1 | Sleep Tight

Yes! I have decided to start another project! In the coming 26 weeks, one black and white pictures will be added into my project collection each week!

In the past, I didnt quite like black and white pictures because they are not 'colorful'! However, I started to appreciate the different perspectives that black and white pictures have to offer some time ago when I read up on a photography book that focuses on black and white. It is amazing to see how my attention is shift between the color and black and white version of a same picture. And this is the purpose of the 26 weeks project - to explore more into black and white!

I am happy to have a lovely cat to kick start my second photography project again!