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You are watching a free tutorial from HDR Photography Workshop.
To view the entire course, upgrade to Premium or purchase it in the SLR Lounge Store.
Introduction
In a previous article, we talked about what the optimal shutter speed is when shooting HDR photography. Now, we are going to discuss the optimal aperture setting in HDR photography. When shooting HDR images, we want to capture as much detail as possible. Each camera lens will have an aperture “sweet spot,” where you can get the most detail and sharpness. However, the lens’s “sweet spot” may not always be the optimal aperture setting when shooting HDR images. In this article, we will discuss what exactly a “sweet spot” is, as well as the general rule of thumb for the optimal aperture setting when shooting HDR photography.
THE “SWEET SPOT”
When shooting HDR photography, the optimal aperture setting will actually depend on the overall scene and look that you are going for. However, with every lens, there is an optimal aperture setting that will yield maximum sharpness. This is known as the “sweet spot.” Since every lens has a “sweet spot,” we recommend you look through online resources that will tell you the exact optimal aperture setting for your lens. At apertures below the “sweet spot,” you will start to lose detail due to a thinning depth of field. At higher apertures, your images will start to lose detail due to diffraction, which reduces a bit of the sharpness in your images. As a rule of thumb, a lens’s “sweet spot” will be at around 3-4 full stops above the maximum aperture setting. For example, if your lens is a 2.8 lens, your “sweet spot” will be somewhere around F/8 to F/11.
THE STARBURST EFFECT
As mentioned before, the optimal aperture setting is really going to depend on the actual scene and overall effect that we are going for. For example, sometimes we will need to use a wider aperture because we need the extra light, even if it reduces a little bit of sharpness in the image. A closed down aperture at F/16 and beyond will cause diffraction. This may not necessarily be the lens’s “sweet spot,” but we are shooting at F/16 because we want to create a certain effect.
Shooting with higher apertures at F/14, F/16 and beyond will create starburst patterns in the lights in our images. Therefore, if we want to create the starburst effect from the sun in our image, we will use one of those aperture settings. That setting will then become the optimal aperture setting for our image, instead of the lens’s “sweet spot,” because the starburst effect is the overall look we want in our image.
Below is an example of what the starburst effect looks like in the lights.
CONSIDERING THE OVERALL EXPOSURE
When shooting HDR photography, it is important to consider the overall exposure of the image. This can often outweigh whether or not you are shooting at the lens’s “sweet spot.” Whenever you approach a new scene, you should think about the composition you are going for and whether or not you want to create a starburst effect in your images. If these considerations are not that important to you, then just shoot at your lens’s “sweet spot” because that will maximize overall detail in the image. However, if these considerations are important, then you do not need to choose the lens’s “sweet spot.” Instead, choose your own optimal setting that will give you the overall look you want to create in your image.
CONCLUSION
Shooting at your lens’s “sweet spot” will maximize the quality and detail of your HDR images. However, your lens’s “sweet spot” may not be the optimal aperture setting when you want to create a starburst effect in your HDR images. Instead, shoot with a higher aperture to create starburst patterns, which will make that higher aperture the new optimal aperture setting.
- 1.1 HDR Photography Workshop Trailer 5M 22S
- 1.2 HDR Workshop Introduction
- 1.3 What is HDR? 6M 7S
- 1.4 What is a Stop of Light 2M 40S
- 1.5 Boosting Dynamic Range by Combining Exposures 4M 28S
- 1.6 When Do You Really Need to Shoot HDR Images 3M 17S
- 1.7 Improvements in Technology 4M 38S
- 1.8 Installing the Presets
- 1.9 What You Will Need for HDR Photography 3M 51S
- 1.10 Tripod 0S
- 1.11 Remote Shutter Release 3M 39S
- 1.12 Lens Filter 6M 36S
- 1.13 Memory Cards 3M 38S
- 1.14 Backpack 2M 2S
- 1.15 UNDFIND Bag 1M 47S
- 1.16 Laptop
- 1.17 HDR Software 4M 23S
- 2.1 HDR Camera Settings Introduction
- 2.2 What Is Auto Exposure Bracketing
- 2.3 How Many Exposures Do You Really Need
- 2.4 Changing Your Cameras Bracketing Order
- 2.5 Ceteris Paribus (Shutter Speed Changes) 4M 45S
- 2.6 Capture All Shots by Shooting in Continuous Modes 1M 41S
- 2.7 Camera Modes 3M 34S
- 2.8 Metering Modes 3M 38S
- 2.9 Timer
- 2.10 Setting the Correct Median Exposure 4M 50S
- 2.11 Nailing and Locking the Focus 3M 2S
- 2.12 In-Camera HDR 4M 42S
- 2.13 Single Shot HDR (Exposing to the Right) 8M 7S
- 3.1 HDR Considerations Intro
- 3.2 Using a Tripod 2M 55S
- 3.3 Optimal Shutter Speed 6M 31S
- 3.4 Optimal Aperture Settings 2M 56S
- 3.5 Optimal ISO Settings 5M 50S
- 3.6 Moving Objects and Ghosting 4M 4S
- 3.7 Using DSLRs with Faster Frame Rates 3M 14S
- 3.8 Using Mirror Up Mode-Mirror Lockup 3M 46S
- 3.9 Shooting in RAW vs. JPEG 3M 27S
- 3.10 Programming Your HDR Settings into Custom Modes 1M 38S
- 3.11 Clean Your Lenses & Sensor! 2M 38S
- 3.12 Dont Forget the Photographic Composition! 3M 8S
- 4.1 Salton Sea, CA HDR Introduction
- 4.2 Salton Sea HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 4.3 Salton Sea HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 4.4 Salton Sea HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 4.5 Salton Sea HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 4.6 Salton Sea HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 4.7 Salton Sea HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 5.1 Page, Arizona HDR Introduction
- 5.2 Horseshoe Bend HDR | Pt.1 | How It Was Shot 6M 42S
- 5.3 Horseshoe Bend HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preperation and HDR Export 2M 43S
- 5.4 Horseshoe Bend HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing in Photomatix Pro 3M 6S
- 5.5 Horseshoe Bend HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Adobe Photoshop Import 3M 3S
- 5.6 Horseshoe Bend HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending 5M 54S
- 5.7 Horseshoe Bend HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing 7M 41S
- 5.8 Antelope Canyon HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 5.9 Antelope Canyon HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 5.10 Antelope Canyon HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 5.11 Antelope Canyon HDR | Pt.4 | Final Image Processing
- 5.12 Antelope Canyon HDR | Pt.5 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 5.13 Antelope Canyon HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 6.1 Moab, Utah HDR Introduction
- 6.2 Moab Utah HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 6.3 Moab Utah HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 6.4 Moab Utah HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 6.5 Moab Utah HDR | Pt.4 | Processing and Photoshop Import
- 6.6 Moab Utah HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 6.7 Moab Utah HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 7.1 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR Location
- 7.2 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 7.3 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 7.4 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 7.5 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop...
- 7.6 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 7.7 Salt Lake Union Pacific HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 7.8 Salt Lake City HDR Introduction
- 7.9 Salt Lake LDS Temple HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 7.10 Salt Lake LDS Temple HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 7.11 Salt Lake LDS Temple HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 7.12 Salt Lake LDS Temple HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 7.13 Salt Lake LDS Temple HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 7.14 Salt Lake LDS Temple HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 7.15 Salt Lake Capital HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 7.16 Salt Lake Capital HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 7.17 Salt Lake Capital HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 7.18 Salt Lake Capital HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 7.19 Salt Lake Capital HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 7.20 Salt Lake Capital HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 8.1 Salt Lake Mountains HDR Introduction
- 8.2 Heber Valley Fishing Bracketed HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 8.3 Heber Valley Fishing Bracketed HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR...
- 8.4 Heber Valley Fishing Bracketed HDR | Pt. 3 | HDR Processing
- 8.5 Heber Valley Fishing Bracketed HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and...
- 8.6 Heber Valley Fishing Bracketed HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 8.7 Heber Valley Fishing Bracketed HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 8.8 Heber Creeper Train HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 8.9 Heber Creeper Train HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 8.10 Heber Creeper Train HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 8.11 Heber Creeper Train HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 8.12 Heber Creeper Train HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 8.13 Heber Creeper Train HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 8.14 Uinta Summit Panorama HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 8.15 Uinta Summit Panorama HDR | Pt.2 | Single Shot Faux HDR Processing
- 8.16 Uinta Summit Panorama HDR | Pt.3 | Photoshop Panorama Processing
- 8.17 Uinta Summit Panorama HDR | Pt.4 | Final Image Processing
- 9.1 Bryce Canyon HDR Introduction
- 9.2 Bryce Canyon HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 9.3 Bryce Canyon HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 9.4 Bryce Canyon HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 9.5 Bryce Canyon HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 9.6 Bryce Canyon HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 9.7 Bryce Canyon HDR | Pt.6 | Final Image Processing
- 9.8 Road Side Panorama HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 9.9 Road Side Panorama HDR | Pt.2 | Single Shot Faux HDR Processing
- 9.10 Road Side Panorama HDR | Pt.3 | Photoshop Panorama Processing
- 9.11 Road Side Panorama HDR | Pt.4 | Final Image Processing
- 9.12 Zion River HDR | Pt.1 | Location
- 9.13 Zion River HDR | Pt. 2 | How it Was Shot
- 9.14 Zion River HDR | Pt.3 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 9.15 Zion River HDR | Pt.4 | HDR Processing
- 9.16 Zion River HDR | Pt.5 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 9.17 Zion River HDR | Pt.6 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 9.18 Zion River HDR | Pt.7 | Final Image Processing
- 10.1 Las Vegas and Los Angeles HDR Introduction
- 10.2 Las Vegas Aria HDR | Pt.1 | How it Was Shot
- 10.3 Las Vegas Aria HDR | Pt.2 | RAW Preparation and HDR Export
- 10.4 Las Vegas Aria HDR | Pt.3 | HDR Processing
- 10.5 Las Vegas Aria HDR | Pt.4 | RAW Processing and Photoshop Import
- 10.6 Las Vegas Aria HDR | Pt.5 | Photoshop Layer Blending
- 10.7 Las Vegas Aria HDR | Pt. 6 | Final Image Processing
- 10.8 Downtown Los Angeles HDR | Pt. 1 | How it Was Shot
- 10.9 Downtown Los Angeles HDR | Pt. 2 | Single Shot Faux HDR Processing
- 11.1 Heber Creeper Train HDR
- 11.2 Heber Valley Fishing Single Shot HDR
- 11.3 Uinta Summit Bracket HDR
- 11.4 Bryce Canyon Panorama HDR
- 11.5 Zion Entrance Panorama HDR
- 11.6 Las Vegas Cleveland Clinic HDR
- 11.7 Palos Verdes HDR
- 11.8 Shen Zhen Pier HDR
- 11.9 China Street Photography HDR
- 11.10 Stearns Wharf HDR
Total Course Run Time 13H 6M 50S
Course Progression
Tutorials Completed 0 / 143
Quizzes Completed 0 / 0
Assignment Completed 0 / 0
Q&A Discussions
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