Unless you’re absolutely new to photography you likely know that the f/stop you choose has a big impact on every photo you capture whether it’s a landscape, street scene, wildlife image, or portrait. But do you really understand how this works and how to choose the appropriate aperture setting for the specific task at hand?

This quick beginners guide comes to us from Souvenir Photography Advisors, a popular YouTube channel devoted to basic instructional videos for travel photographers, theme-park imagery, shooting at the zoo, and other outdoor attractions.

Our unnamed instructor describes the concept of aperture in very simple terms, namely, that this key setting controls how much light enters your camera. As he notes, this key component of the oft-used Exposure Triangle has a big impact upon the look of your images because it determines how much of your photo remains in sharp focus.

Here’s how the helpful episode is described: “In this beginner-friendly video I’ll show you exactly how aperture works using a simple hose-and-bucket analogy that makes it all click. So whether you’re learning manual mode for the first time, or just need a quick refresher, this two-minute guide will help you take more intentional and well-exposed photos,”

Along the way you’ll pick up valuable recommendations for determining when and how to use wide apertures like f/2.8 or a narrower f/stop like f/16. Think landscapes vs. portraits or wildlife shots. Some photographers find aperture nomenclature counterintuitive, and our instructor explains “why f/stop numbers  appear backwards from what you’d expect.”

Perhaps the most important consideration is how aperture affects depth of field and enables you to accentuate the primary subject or element in the frame by separating it from a busy background or other distracting areas.

There’s no need for us to further summarize this eye-opening lesson, because everything is clearly explained and illustrated in just a couple minutes. Once the video concludes take a close look at the Souvenir Photography Advisors YouTube channel where you’ll find many more two-minute explainers.

And don’t miss another beginners guide we featured with a very accomplished nature photographer who discusses the different file format settings in your camera and demonstrates how to capture the sharpest Jpeg photographs when you’d rather not shoot in Raw.