Learning to shoot one aperture at a time

All too often we get a new lens and jump right in to shooting with it all over the aperture spectrum. Now there’s nothing wrong with this, but a lot can be learned by giving yourself a little challenge.

Whenever I get a new lens (especially the f/1.4 primes) I like to take a day or so to walk around with the camera set to aperture priority mode. What I’m doing is paying attention to the focus and depth of field of the lens.

Subjects can be anything from pets to plants. By knowing how a lens performs at each aperture, you’ll be able to use that lens at the best aperture for a given subject. With the D750, I’ve stopped looking through the viewfinder when doing this. Instead I actually prefer to flip out the LCD screen and look down at it, as if I was shooting a medium format camera. To do this I change my grip on the camera and fire the shutter with my thumb.

By looking at the LCD, you can better see what the image looks like and what the given aperture will provide you in terms of depth of field. It will show you the bokeh, or out of focus area of the image. One lens that shows some of the most beautiful transitions between focus and blur is the AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G. There is a certain quality to images shot with this lens that makes them feel very three dimensional.

However, with lenses like the 58mm and AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G, practicing by shooting at specific apertures is crucial at wide apertures, because focus is sometimes defined by mere millimeters. The reason I photograph my dogs so much is that they are rather unpredictable, and very challenging to get in focus. While I don’t photograph animals professionally, I have found that practicing with them can train your muscle memory on minute micro focuses may be needed in the field someday.

One final aspect that practice shooting with a new lens will do is help you understand the angle of incidence that produces the specific types of flare that you may enjoy. For some people, flare is seen as a downside of a lens, but all lenses will show flare when confronted with angular and specular lights. I’ve found that embracing flare and using it to add an aesthetic quality to my images has given me another tool to use when on set.

I’ve often shot images on jobs using the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED for example, with complete confidence of the shot that would result. If it hadn't been for the many walks around my block photographing trees with the sun in the shot, I might have strayed away from this when confronted with a paying shoot.

While many of these shots may never see the light of day, they are often equally as important, if not more, to the ones that will end up in your portfolio.