Devourers Of Light & Beer Taps: Understanding the Aperture
“The f-stop is like the beer tap: the more you turn it on, the more beer flows out and refreshes you.”
Immerse yourself in the realm of photography, where beer taps and donuts reveal to us the secrets of the f-stop, and blur becomes a beguiling play of light and shadow. Let Obsidian take you into a world where the person behind the camera becomes the conductor of an orchestra of light and shadow.
Prepare for a wild expedition through the world of photography where Obsidian will take us into the mysterious realm of bokeh, depth of field and even beer taps! In this unconventional and exclusive interview, Obsidian lifts the veils of blur and shows us how his creative vision brings images to life.
To conclude this exciting odyssey, Obsidian reveals the secrets of aperture and how to use it to bring focus to what really matters. Be amazed by his fearless use of a beer tap as a creative element and immerse yourself in the wondrous world of photography where anything is possible! This fascinating interview is a must-read for anyone passionate about photography, artistic vision, and of course, beer taps (did we mention beer taps?).
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Photographer Obsidian Shadow-Walker is known by many pseudonyms, but no one knows his real name. As Amadeus Lichtspiel, Elysium Traumweber, Terra Euphoria and Anima Intemporalis, he has made a name for himself throughout his career for his versatile and experimental photography. He discovered his passion for photography when he came across his grandfather's camera and began to view the world through the eye of this wondrous machine.
Shadow-Walker studied photography at the prestigious Berlin Art Academy before embarking on a journey to explore the different aspects of photography. In his personal life, he maintains a polyamorous relationship, reflecting his openness to different perspectives and experiences.
In his youth, Shadow-Walker was a bassist in an obscure metal band that fostered his interest in the darker side of art. His photography spans a variety of styles and genres, from surreal and dreamlike imagery to stunning landscapes and sensitive portraits.
Obsidian himself says this about a selection of his recent artist names:
Obsidian Shadow-Walker - A name I chose to express my fascination with the dark and mysterious aspects of photography that hide in the shadows, just waiting to be brought to light.
Amadeus Lichtspiel - A name that shows the playful and experimental side of my work, which deals with light painting and kinetic photography.
Elysium Dreamweaver - This name represents my passion for creating surreal and dreamlike imagery that transports the viewer to another reality.
Terra Euphoria - For my landscape photography, I chose this name to express my unwavering love for the earth and my ability to capture the breathtaking beauty of nature in all its facets. Under this pseudonym, I strive to capture the essence of landscapes and make the viewer feel as if they are right there, surrounded by the sublime splendor of nature.
Nils: Thank you so much for once again taking the time to talk with us! Let's talk about the effect of the aperture. Can you explain to a beginner what aperture is all about?
Obsidian: Ah, the aperture! You mean that magic circle that swallows the light like a black hole and spits it back out to fill our images with life.
Imagine you're in a dark pub and you want to wet your throat with a delicious beer. The f-stop is like the beer tap: the more you turn it on, the more beer flows out and refreshes you. The f-stop number is like the pub owner who tells you how far the beer tap is turned on. The smaller the number, the larger the opening - and vice versa. It's like a crazy world where sub-zero temperatures bring the heat and sunburns happen during snowstorms.
“The smaller the number, the larger the opening - and vice versa. It’s like a crazy world where sub-zero temperatures bring the heat and sunburns happen during snowstorms.”
Nils: So the larger the aperture value, the more light falls on the sensor. And the smaller the aperture value, the less light (or beer) comes streaming in. Do you know a mnemonic that beginners can use to remember that a small f-number corresponds to a large aperture?
Obsidian: Think of two donuts of the same diameter: the f-number is like the thickness of the dough ring. A thick dough ring (large f-stop number) means a small hole in the center, leaving little room for light. A thin dough ring (small f-stop number), on the other hand, means a large hole that leaves more room for light.
Nils: And what image effect can be achieved via the aperture?
Obsidian: The pictorial effects that can be achieved by artfully manipulating the aperture opening are as varied as the colors of a chameleon lost on a psychedelic poster!
Shallow Depth Of Field
Creates a blurred background with beautiful bokeh. The aperture value is low (e.g. F2.8 or lower). Works worse with wide-angle lenses than with longer focal lengths.
One important aspect that aperture affects is depth of field - the area in the image that appears sharp and in focus. Here we enter the mystical realm of blur, where reality blurs and our imagination takes over.
With a large aperture (small f-number), you create a shallow depth of field. The objects in focus will be sharp, while the foreground and background will gently blend into blur. It's like focusing on a single, intriguing conversation partner at a wild party, while the rest of the guests blur into a colorful fog.
A small aperture (large f-number), on the other hand, gives us a great depth of field. Almost everything in the image appears sharp and in focus, from the blade of grass in the foreground to the majestic mountain peak in the distance. It's like experiencing clarity of mind after an extensive meditation, where the whole world becomes visible at once.
Choosing the right aperture allows us to focus the viewer's eye on what we care about and capture our artistic vision in the fleeting moments that life gives us.
High Depth Of Field
At higher aperture values, the depth of field increases. The wider the angle of a lens, the easier it is to achieve this effect.
Nils: Tell us a bit about how you've experimented with depth of field in your work and explain to our readers what bokeh actually is.
Obsidian: I'd love to! Depth of field is a wonderful tool that allows me to create emotion, atmosphere, and a certain magic in my work. It is the play of sharpness and blur that allows the viewer to focus on the essentials in the image while wrapping the background in a dreamy, ethereal garb.
I have experimented with depth of field in various projects to achieve different effects. For example, in portraiture, I've often used a wide aperture (small f-stop) to keep the subject's face in focus while the background disappears into a blurry, fuzzy world. This technique highlights the subject and creates an intimate, captivating mood.
In other cases, I've used depth of field to create surreal and dream-like landscapes in which objects and people seem to float or emerge from the haze like ghosts. Here, I often focused on arranging lights and colors in the background to create an otherworldly bokeh that captivates the viewer.
Now, what exactly is bokeh? Bokeh is a photography term that comes from Japanese and means "out of focus" or "blurred". It refers to the aesthetic quality of blur in an image, specifically the out-of-focus points of light in the background. Good bokeh is characterized by soft, round spots of light that blur evenly and pleasingly.
The quality of bokeh depends on the shape of the aperture and the nature of the lens. A lens with a circular aperture usually produces more pleasing bokeh than one with a polygonal aperture. In addition, factors such as the number of aperture blades and the type of glass lenses used also play a role.
Experimenting with depth of field and bokeh has taught me that sometimes the blurry and indistinct can be just as fascinating and meaningful as the sharp and clear. It reminds us that in the world of photography, as in life itself, not everything is apparent at first glance and that beauty often lies in the spaces and transitions in between.
Nils: You might be tempted to always keep the aperture number as large as possible, that is, to shoot with a small aperture if you want to get the sharpest possible photo. But you shouldn't choose the aperture too small, should you? I at least try to avoid setting the aperture smaller than F16.
Example Of Bokeh
Good bokeh is characterized by soft, round spots of light that blur evenly and pleasingly.
Obsidian: That's right! While it may be tempting to always keep the aperture number as large as possible to get a sharp photo, there are limits to what you can do. The relationship between depth of field and aperture is not linear, and there is a point at which sharpness no longer increases - instead, it may actually decrease. This phenomenon is called diffraction blur.
Diffraction blur occurs when light waves pass through a very small aperture and bend in the process. This diffraction can cause the light to no longer focus precisely on the camera sensor and the image to appear blurry. At very small apertures, such as F16 or smaller, diffraction blur may be visible, depending on the camera and lens used.
For best results in terms of sharpness and depth of field, it is recommended to use what is called the "sweet spot" aperture of the lens. The sweet spot is the aperture at which the lens achieves its optimum sharpness performance. This is often in the middle of the aperture range, for example at F5.6 or F8, depending on the lens.
By working with the sweet spot aperture, you get a balance between depth of field and diffraction blur, resulting in a sharper image.
Of course, there are situations where you deliberately want to create an extremely shallow or large depth of field. Then apertures like F1.4 or F16 are appropriate to achieve a certain artistic effect. But it is important to be aware of the possible disadvantages and to consider the loss of sharpness due to diffraction blur when working with very small apertures.
“The world is like a camera - focus on the good, develop the negatives, and when things go wrong, just take another photo.”
Nils: In photography, we speak of "F-stops" when we mean different aperture values. In film, on the other hand, it's more common to talk about "T-stops." Can you explain the two terms?
Obsidian: Of course. These two terms, like two different dances, revolve around the same subject - light and how it is captured.
Let's start with "f-stops." F-stops are units of measurement used to describe the size of the aperture in a lens. We touched on this earlier: they're like windows in a dark room - the larger the window, the more light streams in and illuminates the interior. F-stops, often referred to as f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, etc., describe how wide open the lens "window" is. A smaller F-stop number means a larger aperture, and therefore more light falling on the camera sensor.
Now to the "T-Stops". T-stops, or "transmission stops," are another unit of measurement used primarily in film and cinematography. They take into account not only the size of the aperture, but also the loss of light due to the various lens elements in the lens. Think of T-stops as a chorus of glass chants, with each singer - each lens element - swallowing some of the light as it makes its way through the lens.
T-stops give a more accurate representation of the actual amount of light hitting the film or sensor because they include the light lost through the lenses in the lens. As a result, T-stops are often used in the film industry to ensure consistent exposure across different lenses and cameras - they're like a precise script that helps the cinematographer perfectly direct the light in each scene.
To summarize: F-stops describe the size of the aperture opening and are like windows that let the light in. T-stops, on the other hand, refer to the actual amount of light hitting the sensor and account for light loss through the lenses in the lens. While F-stops are prevalent in photography, T-stops are the measure of choice in the film world to ensure precise and consistent exposure.
Nils: That was quite a lot of information now! Do you have any parting words as a photographer to our readers?
Obsidian: Don't be afraid to discover and unleash your own creative voice. Life is like an endless photo album just waiting to be filled with your personal masterpieces.
Be brave, break rules and explore the unknown depths of art and photography. Question the limits of your imagination and be inspired by the colors and shapes of this world. Because in those moments when we ignite the creative spark within us, we are truly alive.
And remember, my friends: the world is like a camera - focus on the good, develop the negatives, and when things go wrong, just take another photo.
Live, love and photograph!