How to Use Aperture Priority Mode

The aperture is the camera's equivalent to the human eye and controls how much light enters through the camera lens. The aperture is set in increments known as F-stops. Controlling the camera's aperture functions greatly increases the photographer's ability to create interesting photographs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Locate the area on the camera that allows the user to choose the specific camera functions. This is commonly a dial on the top of the camera. Read the camera's owner's manual to locate this feature on a specific model of camera.

2. Turn the dial to the area that indicates Aperture Priority. Many cameras have an abbreviation on the dial that resembles Av or AvP. Choose this option to control the camera's aperture.

3. Look at the subject carefully and consider the background of each scene. A wide aperture will throw the background out of focus and a smaller aperture brings things back into focus.

4. Experiment with differing sizes of aperture. Choose one subject and focus the camera on it. Mount the camera on a tripod and take the picture. Adjust the F-stop one increment lower or higher, recompose the same shot and take the picture. This allows the photographer a range of pictures showing differing apertures.

Tips & Warnings

• Join an online photography forum to better work through related topics with others. Often a consensus from individuals helps to understand aperture better.