Aperture Priority

You might have observed portraits or wildlife images shot by professionals. Ever wondered how they get the backgrounds blurred? This is where the aperture comes into play. The widest aperture (the smallest number) will give the least depth of field, i.e. the maximum blur of the background), while the narrowest (the largest number) will give the most depth of field, i.e. everything will be in focus. But do remember that a wider aperture will give a faster shutter speed and vice versa.

There are situations in which a blurred background will help to isolate the main subject and draw attention to it. In situations such as these, use the aperture priority mode and shoot at the widest aperture (smallest number). In this photograph taken with a Ricoh GR Digital compact camera, I used an aperture of f/2.8 to keep the background out.

Aperture Priority is denoted as 'A' in some cameras and 'AV' in some others.