Stopping down or up for that matter?

nikon90nikon90 Registered Users Posts: 25 Big grins
edited May 9, 2004 in Technique
Okay, I have a silly question. When you read something that says you should stop down, which way are you going on the aperture ring? Let's say you are at F8, and you need to go down one stop, is it F5.6 or F11? I feel dumb asking but I haven't had to worry about this in years and now I'm trying to learn filters and things and it'll suggest stopping down but I don't know if I need more or less light. Can someone explain this to me again? Thanks
Terri

"I feed off the light, that I walk in"- Still Rain

http://SoRealismPhotography.smugmug.com

Comments

  • cletuscletus Registered Users Posts: 1,930 Major grins
    edited May 9, 2004
    nikon90 wrote:
    Okay, I have a silly question. When you read something that says you should stop down, which way are you going on the aperture ring? Let's say you are at F8, and you need to go down one stop, is it F5.6 or F11? I feel dumb asking but I haven't had to worry about this in years and now I'm trying to learn filters and things and it'll suggest stopping down but I don't know if I need more or less light. Can someone explain this to me again? Thanks
    Typically "Stop Down" means that you want to let in less light, so in your example you would go from f/8 to f/11. The typical term I've heard for going the other way is "open up".
  • fishfish Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited May 9, 2004
    Yep, Cletus nailed it. Think in terms of the size of the aperture (opening). When you "stop down" you are making the aperture smaller (larger f number). When you "open up" you are making the aperture larger (smaller f number). Hmm...seemed simple whey I thought about it, but not when I typed it. ne_nau.gif
    "Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." - Edward Weston
    "The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
  • lynnmalynnma Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 5,207 Major grins
    edited May 9, 2004
    Hi Nikon,

    don't feel silly, took me ages to get that into my head. John Shaw's Nature Photographers complete guide to Professional Field Techniques helped me no end. Not only did it inspire me with his superb photography but put f stops, etc in very simple language that even I could understand.
    You can get it here for 2.99 if you are interested.

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/offering/list/-/0817450068/all/qid=1084131421/sr=1-6/ref=sr_pb_a/103-7436044-6638209


    Lynn
  • nikon90nikon90 Registered Users Posts: 25 Big grins
    edited May 9, 2004
    Thank you all for that. I took classes in high school and college but that was 13 years ago and its all gone from my head headscratch.gif . I'm trying to learn some different things and I could just never remember how it went. I'll check into that book too. Thanks for the tips!!!! thumb.gif
    Terri

    "I feed off the light, that I walk in"- Still Rain

    http://SoRealismPhotography.smugmug.com
  • fishfish Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited May 9, 2004
    nikon90 wrote:
    Thank you all for that. I took classes in high school and college but that was 13 years ago and its all gone from my head headscratch.gif . I'm trying to learn some different things and I could just never remember how it went. I'll check into that book too. Thanks for the tips!!!! thumb.gif

    Another way I look at it is...

    Larger f-number: slower shutter, much depth-of-field
    Smaller f-number: faster shutter, not much depth-of-field

    yeah, that's hosed too. I got it figgered out in my brain, but I can't for the life of me make 16 words bang together in the right direction.
    "Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." - Edward Weston
    "The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
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