5 Tips on Shooting Sharp Images With a Wide Open Aperture

I recently purchased the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lens. It is the fastest lens that I've ever had, and I've been working on getting accustomed to the intricacies of shooting with a very wide aperture.

I've had quite a bit of experience working with shallow depth of field, but photographers who are new to fast lenses often find that getting sharp images isn't initially easy with a fast lens. Sure, it becomes easier with time, but there's a slight learning curve.

Conveniently, this recent video by Adorama TV, Pye Jirsa covers five tips for shooting sharp images with a wide-open aperture. Pye not only covers things to watch out for but also how to explain it to your subjects. The easy to follow animations and example photos show precisely what you should to ensure sharp images.

There's also a time when you shouldn't use a wide-open aperture, which Pye explains in detail. That little tip wasn't something I had previously thought very much about.

I'm no stranger to shallow depth of field; however, I am relatively new to shooting portraits and found a few of these tips very helpful. Check out the video above for these five tips and a few bonus tips as well.