STOP using the wrong APERTURE.

I think a BIG mistake some folks make is severely overthinking a shot. Not being able to see the forest through the trees, so to speak. I used to worry about focus stacking and hyperfocal distance to try and get the perfect, tack sharp image. So much so, that it made shooting a chore I didn’t enjoy. Now, I just shoot between f/8 and f/14 and focus somewhere around a third to halfway into the image and I almost always get great results, and I can concentrate on things more important to me than ultimate, clinical sharpness, like composition and light/shadow play. Most importantly I enjoy landscape and cityscape photography a LOT more.

As a nature photography hobbyist for the past four decades, this explanation on aperture is one of the best I've encountered. If I was teaching a class on photography, I would say "Okay, today I'm teaching you everything you need to know about Aperture..." and then show this video. Well done Mads!

Never seen a clearer way to explain and show how aperture works. Thanks Mads, always looking forward to your weekly videos!

Great video, Mads. Easy to understand and very thorough. You are a wonderful teacher!

Mads, each time I’ve watched one of your videos I have been so impressed with your clear, concise, and expert explanation of whatever topic you’ve chosen. You are a natural and extremely effective teacher. I’ve been doing this for over 50 years now, and much of what you cover, be it aperture and exposure, composition or whatever, is so internalized in me now that I hardly think about it. That is sometimes, though rare, a hinderance rather than an advantage. Especially when I’m working quickly and may not take the time or have the time to give a particular shot proper attention. Thankfully, for me when I venture out to photograph, the important thing is “Taking Time”. This discipline was ingrained in me by my mentors all those years ago, the likes of Weston, White and Adams, either directly or through several of their students. Minor often visited and was a big influence, however the greatest lesson about taking time and discipline was from my father who said if I wanted to be a photographer then I’d have to begin with one of his smaller sheet film cameras, a tripod and a light meter. NO handheld until I’d made 50 exposures, developed and printed each and though they would likely not be that good, they MUST show that I’d had a purpose when taking each and I didn’t just point the camera at something and CLICK, CLICK, CLICK away to get to 50. I so lusted after just getting to use his 1969 F and running around handheld, but when I finally did, I may have spent an entire day and only taken 4 or 5 exposures. Today I’m ALL digital and love the freedom of not having to think, “God I’m at 34 and only have two more rolls of film which I want to save for something else.” ALL this being said, the point is that no matter how basic or fundamental the subject you’re presenting, an OLD fart like me enjoys and NEEDS to hear it because it’s like getting a soft re-boot to my hard drive or a v. 2.23 software update. We do those frequently with our cameras, lenses, and post-production programs SO, why not ourselves? Thank You so much for all your enjoyable and informative content! It is always such a pleasure to watch and hear you present it. Tak

Thanks Mads this was a useful video. I still find however photographers needlessly complicate Aperture for beginners by talking about stopping it down or opening up the aperture.A much simpler way is to think of the F stops themselves - Small F stop = small depth of field.Large F stop= large depth of field. No more mental gymnastics 😂

An excellent tutorial on this subject. One of the best I have ever seen. Clear, concise, and quite polished. Well done, Mads.

Excellent video! Thank you, Mads. Great review, and more.

There is no wrong aperture as such - it all depends on what you want to achieve

I occasionally watch videos covering basic material because you can always learn something from a good teacher. Let me just thank you for those efforts and winning my approval with (finally) a correct description of ISO (not being part of any "exposure" triangle, but a factor of brightness post exposure. I hear this misspoken so many times by so many seasoned photographers.

Thanks. Even for those of us who have been doing this for a while it’s always good to go back and review the basics.

That was a great tutorial explaining all about how aperture works to everyone. So well done to you Mads. Look forward to seeing your next video.

Wonderfully explained. Thank you Mads.

Well explained, Mads! Great introduction for beginners and a nice summary for more experienced photographers

Just when I thought I completely understood aperture, I watched this video and learned a whole lot more... Thank you, well done!

Very helpful and well presented.

Very nicely done Mads. Really clear explanation and accompanied with great examples as well. Thanks for sharing. Cheers from across the big pond.

It's really helpful to hear about this information again. Testing a lens outside seems like more fun than inside on an object I wouldn't normally photograph.

Really good that you mention the circular vignettes on tele lenses. A thing I have seen in my photos, but as you say like no one is speaking about it.

You are amazing! Thank you so much for your great videos!