Aperture Explained Photography Tutorial: Understanding Exposure And Camera Settings)
Aperture effects two things: depth of field, and how much light is hitting the sensor.
The smaller the aperture, ex. 1.4: the more light you’re letting in.
The larger the aperture, ex. 16: the less light you’re letting in.
Aperture works just like the iris of your eye, the more light you see, the smaller your iris, the less light you see, the bigger your iris.
When shooting a group, use a larger aperture to get more in focus.
When shooting more than one person that’s on the same level, you can use a smaller aperture.
Photography Tutorial – Aperture and F Stops Explained Part 2)
When using a significantly smaller f/stop, ex. 1.4 the only thing that is in focus, is the exact point where you wanted it.
The smaller your f/stop the higher the shutter speed.
The larger your f/stop, the smaller the shutter speed.
Depending on the f/stop, the shutter speed will slow down, or get faster to compensate for the light not being let in. For ex: a smaller f/stop = faster shutter speed to compensate for the light the f/stop isn’t letting in.
It’s important to consider every point in the exposure triangle, as well as outside factors like distance, angle, etc. when picking a f/stop.