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These days cameras are everywhere. Whether it’s a tiny digital you keep in your pocket or a medium format monstrosity you use for a hobby, cameras have become an integral part of human life. With that in mind, let’s take a ride down memory lane and look at where modern photography came from and what it’s meant to our civilization.

One of the most amazing aspects about photography is how much we depend upon them to record our history and tell a story, considering the fact that photography is still relatively new. Just think of how many old family photos you have displayed in your home in antique picture frames or old handmade wood picture frames?

The first permanent photograph was created as recently as 1825 using pewter plates and a substance called “bitumen,” and later iterations of the photograph would be printed on glass; paper didn’t become common until around 1888 thanks to innovations by George Eastman (as in Eastman-Kodak).

In 1901, the Kodak Brownie camera was first introduced to the public. This was the first time that photography was so easily accessible to the public, in terms of ease of use and cost. It was during this period of time that film developing really took off as an industry. It’s incredible to think that something like getting film developed or emailing digital images, which we take for granted today, was a completely new concept just 100 years ago. The modern SLR camera has only been around for about 80 years, and even in that timeframe it hasn’t changed too much in terms of construction.

While black and white photography hasn’t changed much since the early 1900’s, color film has experienced dramatic advancements over this brief period of time. Though color photography had always been pursued by early photographers, color film and printing didn’t become widely accessible until well into the 20th century. Kodak’s “Kodachorme” was introduced around 1935, but would be a while before it would become commonplace. One interesting thing about color film advancement is looking at how black and white film is still in wide use despite the introduction of color photographs. How many people do you know that still have a black and white television? Probably none.

Of course, no discussion of photo-history would be complete without mentioning the digital revolution. This technology, which is part of our everyday lives, has only been used for about 15 years. The first “megapixel” sensor wasn’t even created until around 1986, and now it’s one of the most common technical words in our vocabularly. Though digital photography hasn’t changed much about the way we take pictures (point and shoot), it has had an immeasurable impact on our ability to share our photographs with the world.

Photography is the way in which we document our lives and display them in picture frames in our homes and offices for all to see. A photograph can be as simple as remembering a birthday party, or as important as drawing attention to a conflict on the other side of the globe. They help add weight and emotion to the words of reporters as well as preserve our history for generations to come. Every picture we take is living proof of human achievements, relationships, strengths, and weaknesses.

Shooting with a camera and adjusting the settings manually can be an intimidating task to the new photographer. Veterans of the craft will no doubt remember the first roll of film they ruined by reading the light wrong, or the irreplaceable moments in time lost behind a lens cap. As a photographer, our job is to be the conductor of a symphony of moving components, gently influencing each element to ensure that the end result is more than just the sum of the parts.

Without understanding the elements of photography individually, it is impossible to understand how they relate to the whole. So let’s start our trip into the inner workings of photography with one of the most unfamiliar topics: aperture.

Defining Aperture
Aperture is simply what controls the amount of light exposed on the film or your digital camera’s sensor. It can be opened and closed using the F-Stop on your camera, which is usually a ring located around the lens in between the focus ring and the body of the camera. If you’ve ever looked into someone’s eye as light was shone into it and watched the pupil get smaller, this is how the aperture works too.

Most cameras have an f stop range of 1.7/2.0 to 22 with the range of values usually increasing with the quality and cost of the camera. You can see your camera’s range by looking at the numbers around your lens. Lower F-Stops are more open and expose the film to more light, while high F-Stops close the aperture and shut the light out.

How Aperture Can Impact Images
Using your F-Stop to purposefully manipulate the aperture of your camera will allow you to change the depth of field shown in your photographs. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “depth of field,” it describes how much of your photograph is blurry, and how much is sharp. Aperture directly affects the amount of time a frame is exposed; the more time the film has to absorb information, the more clarity and depth will come through in the final product.

For instance, if you were to take a photograph of a line of vintage picture frames on a table from one end using a low F-Stop number (an open aperture), you would probably see one or two frames clearly and the background ones as blurry. Open apertures create a shallow depth of field. If you were to then take the same photograph with a high F-Stop (a closed aperture), you would see many more antique picture frames clearly down the line and get a much greater sense of how far away they might be.

Fun Experiments with Aperture
Playing with the aperture on your camera can be great fun once you have a bearing on what it does.  Here’s a couple of ideas to try the next time you’re out shooting and you want to test it out:

• Take every photograph twice – once at a high F-Stop, and once at a low F-Stop.
• Challenge yourself to shoot an entire roll at one F-Stop, then switch it up.
• Put your camera on full manual and adjust the F-Stop on the fly to adjust for light

Don’t forget to adjust the shutter speed of your camera to allow for more or less light (faster speeds for more light, slower speeds for less), or you may end up with overexposed or underexposed images. Many digital cameras have a fantastic option called “aperture priority mode” which lets you choose an F Stop and will then adjust the shutter speed automatically. It’s worth noting that the best types of lighting for experimenting with aperture are cloudy or overcast days. When faced with low or bright light, your options for F Stop values will become limited.

Of course, the very best way to improve your photography is to take lots of pictures. So, get out there and find those photographs that you’ll be proud to hang on your picture frame wall!