Use aperture creatively

For pro-quality shots, make your subject emerge from a sea of blur

For many photographers, choosing the aperture that offers the most appropriate zone of sharpness is as important as the composition of the photo. How much of the scene you hold in focus makes a huge difference to the story you’re trying to tell, and how that story is perceived by the viewer. If you’re taking a scenic landscape then it’s common to hold everything in focus so the viewer can ‘walk into’ the scene and discern detail throughout the entire depth of the shot. But when you want to isolate a specific subject – and make the shot about them – restricting the depth to make them stand out against a blurred background is a core technique that you need to master. Here’s how it’s done…