Aperture is one of the first terms you learned when you began your photography journey, but do you know how it works? This fun video uses a Star Wars LEGO set to give an in-depth explanation of what aperture is.
Aperture is much more than a setting on your camera. Technically, it is the opening in a lens that can be adjusted to control the amount light that passes through it. This video from Aaron Nace of Phlearn provides an excellent example of how a lens works and what happens when its aperture is adjusted.
First, Nace uses a simple illustration of a lens to demonstrate how the iris opens and closes as the aperture is adjusted. After the technical terms are explained, he sets up a simple but effective illustration of aperture using the LEGO set. The toys are set up in a scene to emulate a foreground and a background. Then, while leaving his camera on a tripod, he takes pictures at different apertures to show how the depth of field changes at each stop.
Like most of Nace’s videos, this tutorial is presented in a knowledgeable and fun way. If you want a deeper understanding of aperture, or have never understood how the inner parts of a lens work, this video explains both topics well.
I'll be honest, he kind of lost me when he said ISO determines the amount of light that enters the camera.