Aperture/f stops/Depth of field

So let us gaze into the bizarre, seemingly backwards ways of aperture. The small numbers on the lens represent the largest opening and, conversely, the big number is the small opening. Why? In the interest of complete candor, I have no clue. You would think that, after more than a decade of shooting seriously and wanting to know all there is to know, that I would be able to tell you. But I don't, so let's just move on. However, let me just add that, as soon as I have published this article, no sooner shall I have researched aperture in its entirety. But here are some of the things I have learned along the way.


Light allowance, depth of field, speed and focal length. These are just some of the terms used when discussing aperture. Look at it this way for starters. Inside your lens is a ring that opens and closes to limit the amount of light allowed through to the film (or "chip" if we're talking digital), much like the pupil of your eye. Around the outside of the lens are numbers that range from f22 to f2.8, generally speaking, that control that ring. Between the focal length of your lens, the aperture selections, the shutter speeds and the ISO of the film you are using, there is much you can control. But, though there is that much control, there is also a great deal of adjusting to the situation at hand. If you are shooting at noon in July in the middle of a football field without a cloud in the sky and no flash, chances are you will have to use one of the larger number f stops, or smaller openings. If you are shooting at the same field at the same time in October under heavy overcast and no flash, turn those numbers around. For the former you will want to use a slow film speed like ISO 200 and a faster shutter speed. For the latter...turn those numbers around. It's a lot of that. Flipping the logic around depending on the situation.

In terms of focal length, that is a discussion more of depth of field for the purpose of this article. The longer your lens (such as a 105mm vs a 24mm), the greater the range of control over depth of field you can have. If you open a long lens all the way up, the depth of field will be shallow. So let's talk a bit about what depth of field is. Well, it is much like it sounds. It is the range, or depth, of infinite focus. And, though photography is not three dimensional, you are kind of working with different planes. There are layers, rather than visible third dimensions. So when you are adjusting the aperture, not only are you adjusting the light allowance, you are also manipulating those planes. If you are doing a head shot with a 105mm lens you will want to shut the lens down as far as you can. Unless, of course, you only really want the eyes, and everything else on that same plane, in focus. The more in the shot you want in focus, the smaller the opening you will go for. And the opposite is true as well.

One of the greatest ways to learn and, more importantly, see what aperture settings can do is to play around with it. Use your standard 50mm lens on a 35mm SLR and take multiple pictures of the same thing. A still life is best for this exercise as it is less likely to be moved. And start by going from one extreme of f22 to f2.8 or wider, like f1.5 if possible, to see the dramatic differences. And once you start to get a handle on that (and then later the use of ISO ratings and shutter speeds), you will want to use your camera manually for the most part.

Questions, comments and suggestions are encouraged.

New Content

Those of you who approved of this will be held accountable if something goes inexplicably wrong. If all goes well and according to my grand plan, I will take sole credit, soul be damned.

The new "proposal" is to take some of my more teaching aspects of what I do at examiner to this space. And I suppose that I am so inclined. I'm thinking I'll just pickup where I left off. A more in depth perspective on each topic will be covered and questions are encouraged though I can't guarantee I'll be able to answer them all. But I'm not that popular so it shouldn't be a problem.

In the meantime, if there are topics you specifically want answers to, then ask away. But refer back to what I just said about answering them. And, hey...let's have some fun, OK??!!!!

Another Janovitz Chose the Wrong Profession!!

And Scott wasn't the last of us boys to get involved in such foolishness. Truth be told, I love that we are all songwriters. It definitely was motivation for me having Bill as my older brother. Everywhere I went on tour I heard essentially the same exact questions in interviews. But it never bothered me except to say that I found it terribly disappointing that that was the only thing "writers" had on their list.

The thing that impresses me the most about Scott, and perhaps even more so Tom (aka Sodafrog~post to follow), is that he has been able to grow as a songwriter, so much so that his music is a lot different than either Billy or me. Admittedly, my songs in the Cold Water Flat days were closer in genre to Buffalo Tom than either that of Scott and The Russians or Tom~Sodafrog. Being any of us as human beings has its ups and downs, but being a Janovitz in this town as a musician...well let's just say that the names proceeding yours is always that of the rest of the boys. I've seen it a million times. There are writers who are so predictable, that you could call them "Old Faithful." Some are such fans of one that they seem to resent the rest. It's a weird thing.

But each time I go see or listen to any one of them, I become so proud. For whatever reason, my siblings are all very talented individuals...and I use that word in its literal sense. And, if that weren't enough, they are also very giving folks. And the latter far outweighs the former.

And these pictures tell that story of a giving person...to me, at least. What I mean by that, and I addressed it in the post about my brother Bill, is that, if you are the real deal, you will be giving a great deal of yourself on a nightly basis. And that is so exhausting in my experience. Frankly, at the time, it was not something I could sustain as a touring musician. If folks who make a living exposing their soul each time they perform don't take a lot of time off and pursue some sort of other outlet in a different direction, they will die young. And there is plenty of evidence to support my argument.

I realize one could easily say that this post is ridiculous. That I feel the way I do because of my relationship to Scott. And I realize that pictures are just that. They are still shots and don't tell the whole story. But they capture moments. And that's how I try to live. Moment by moment. And when I look at Scott here, I see two things right away. I see a great performer and someone who isn't just singing about liking big buts (though I think Scott has always been a fan of the big butt...you should have seen the girl who asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance). There is way more substance.

I have no doubt that I find these types of connections with my brothers because they are just that. But it's these same connections that were and are made for me with the music I choose to listen to like a lot of us. It's just a lot easier when you don't think your siblings suck. And I don't think Scott sucks. On the contrary, it is quite good in my humble opinion. And the Russians need your help so that their record sees the light of day. And the deadline is soon. Support local music. It's right under your nose.

(someday I will learn how to use html and post the link right here to get to the Kickstarter website to donate some money towards the Russians LP. In the meantime it is right over there on the right) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Alone Pt. 3

She looks lost and innocent enough to believe whoever takes her hand to lead her to her family. She has an old soul. Every time I look at her, I feel helpless. Let me project some more of my own personal baggage. It seems as though she is looking for her mom at some event. And when I look at her eyes, I feel like Cameron Frye when he looked at that painting and gets drawn in by the little girls face. Not that I am comparing my work to a master and leading pioneer of impressionism like Seurat. But the part of this series that is such a great exercise for me is that it teaches me to see further than taking pictures has already done.

But again I return to the infinite aloneness we are all in the midst of. Right now, we are on a planet that is in a constant state of evolution. And a lot of people are not aware of the fact that we are still coming out of an ice age. It's that. That aloneness. In some ways, we are totally insignificant in our existence. Regardless or your religious or personal beliefs, what could we possibly matter in the grand scheme of things? To think otherwise is, to me, so sickeningly pompous. But here we are together.

I believe we all have three parts to us. The flesh...the anatomy of the animals that we are. Then we are also comprised of the mind. But the two are also, more often than not, inextricable. The third is that part of us that we are able to separate entirely. To observe ourselves. And that is where this whole thing rests. In that part of "us" that stands there and realizes that what we just said or did, for instance, is utterly ridiculous. We do it all the time. We talk to others close to us and therapists about it in hopes that we are not as ostensibly insane as we think we are. Or, more frighteningly, how insane we know ourselves to be. We are. We are all insane. And the sooner we all admit it, the better off we will be.

If we were able to share with someone our experiences...the way we experience life, we wouldn't need all these self help books (And in the interest of candor, I am writing one myself). It would be like "The Green Mile" where Paul Edgecomb takes John Coffey's hand. John says "...I got's to show you a little bit of what it's like for me each day..." If we could simply take one another's hand and just send it along through that channel so that someone else can actually "Walk a Mile" in your shoes we would stop judging others almost entirely. We would be better people. But we can't. So we write songs, paint or create in some way an expression of ourselves. To show the insides of you to another. And when we get close to conveying that to another person and that is reciprocated we call it love.