How to choose the best aperture for landscapes.

Learn more about aperture, how it affects your photos, and the best camera settings for capturing stunning landscape photography.

Landscape photography is a broad category, often filled with dramatic, sweeping vistas and interesting compositions. But capturing these moments can be a challenge without a deep understanding of your camera’s aperture settings. Learn the importance of aperture in your photos and how to choose the right camera settings when out in the field.

What is aperture?

Together with ISO and shutter speed, aperture controls how much light your camera lets in. Too much light will wash out your photo, and too little will result in a very dark image.

Another element to keep in mind is depth of field. Aperture plays a role in this too, which ultimately affects the sharpness or blurriness of your photos.

Best aperture setting for landscape photos.

While there isn’t one “correct” aperture setting for landscape photos, there are some best practices to keep in mind.

In short, you’ll want to lean more towards the higher ranges (such as f/16 to f/22.) These are narrower apertures, which means they allow less light into your camera, resulting in the need for longer shutter speeds. This combination will create the correct light exposure.

And because aperture also affects depth of field, shooting with a high f-stop will help ensure more of your scene to be in focus — an essential element of landscape photography.

Improve your photo skills.

Continue to explore various aperture settings and their effects as you advance in your photography journey. There’s no right or wrong way to shoot a photo, but having a firm understanding of aperture will help you achieve the shots you desire every time. Experiment with your camera’s manual settings and take a moment to discover new photography tips.

Explore what more you can do with Adobe Lightroom to improve your landscape photography.