f22 narrow aperture photography guide.
Know when to use f22 aperture to photograph stunning landscape shots without losing image quality.
Aperture refers to the opening on a lens that lets light into a camera’s sensor. F-stop is the setting on your camera that controls aperture — f stands for “focal length.” To understand this setting, think in reverse: A larger number, such as f22, means a smaller opening with less light coming in.
When to use f22 aperture.
F22 aperture creates a photo with all parts in focus, from elements close to the camera to subject matter far away in the background. This phenomenon is known as a wide depth of field — it’s the opposite of photos where the background is blurred and an object is in focus. It’s commonly used for landscape photography. Less light also means a slower shutter speed. Because of this effect, it’s best to use f22 for certain types of subjects:
- Scenes with adequate lighting
- Outdoor scenes that have backgrounds and foregrounds of interest
- Outdoor scenes where the combination of f22 aperture and long exposure blurs things in motion, such as water or headlights
- Product photography where details are important.
Solutions to f22 aperture range limitations.
Although f22 aperture is effective for capturing highly focused shots, it also has some complexities. See below for some common f22 issues and workarounds to keep f22 a viable photo option:
- F22 issue: Dust on the lens may appear in the photograph. Workaround: Clone out the specks on the image file.
- F22 issue: Some photos may lose their sharpness. Workaround: Adjust the sharpness when editing your photo. You can use different f-stops and take multiple photos, capturing different parts of your overall scene in focus. Then use photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom to focus stack the photos into a single image.
- F22 issue: Photos look blurry. Workaround: Use a tripod. Tiny movement can lead to blurring in long-exposure photos.
Discover more great photography tips to improve the look and focus of your photos. Learn how Lightroom can help make editing less time consuming with an assortment of pre-loaded presets.