New Camera day 26 - Georges adventures in Aperture land

Today George is here to tell you about Aperture. You might not think there is much difference in these pictures of George enjoying his Bloody Mary - but look closer.... George explains "As the aperture number gets bigger, the depth of field also gets bigger & more of the background is in focus." "What's happening?" He hears you all chorus. "Well, the smaller the aperture number, the larger the hole letting in light into your camera. It's a bit like Ikea opening it's doors on a Sunday morning with no queue - it's quick, a bit of a mess when everyone rushes in, in a blur (so you get a blurred background)." "Conversely, the larger the aperture number, the smaller the hole - a bit like a nice orderly single file queue at the bank - very precise, but a bit slow. Everyone gets served, but it takes time (so you get everything in focus)" "Hope that helps? Ta da for now!" Says George Just continuing carrying out a couple of exercises from my Bryan Peterson book. Here I set the camera on manual, opened the aperture to its smallest (f 36) & selected the shutter speed to get the right exposure. I then worked my way down through apertures, slowing them down by a stop each time & selecting the appropriate shutterspeed. It's a good lesson in why manual can be best.