The difference between manual and aperture priority.

Discover how and when to use different DSLR aperture modes to capture truly striking photographs.

Your DSLR’s aperture is in charge of both brightness and depth of field (also known as focus) — and both are important if you want to take stunning photos. Aperture lets you decide how much light to let into the camera and it’s measured in f-stops.

You can rotate the ring around your lens manually or choose f-numbers from a dial. Both have their advantages — take a look to see how each one can take your photography to the next level.

Professional photos with manual f-stop.

Whether you’re snapping family photos or breaking into the wedding photography industry, aperture is one of the easiest ways to improve the quality of your work — especially if you own a DSLR.

You’ll also notice that the more expensive the camera lens is, the more f-stop settings there are. Take advantage of your DSLR’s f-stop abilities by experimenting with these settings:

• f/1.4 - f/2.8: Great for low-light conditions, portraits, soft focus, and blurred backgrounds.
• f/8: Good for group photography, and keeping your foreground and backgrounds sharp.
• f/16: Ideal for bright-light conditions and making landscapes pop.

Snap photos faster with DSLR aperture priority mode.

Your camera likely has a setting for aperture priority mode. This mode lets you set aperture while the camera chooses the optimal shutter speed for your selection.

Aperture priority mode is particularly helpful for photographers dealing with changing light conditions — think sunrises, sunsets, etc. But if you aren’t getting the results you’re looking for, you can explore helpful photography tips and try a photo editing app to work wonders after the shoot.

Take your post-production editing skills to the next level — explore everything you can do with Adobe Lightroom.