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← Creative Hut LibraryPhotography basics · Aperture

Part 12 of 13 in the aperture guide

How does aperture affect depth of field?

Written by Abin Alex, Founder and Director, and Anu Joseph, Faculty, Creative Hut Academy. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

Short answer. A wider aperture (smaller f-number) gives a shallower depth of field. A narrower aperture (larger f-number) gives a deeper one.

  • Depth of field is the range of distances that looks acceptably sharp.
  • Aperture is one of four factors. The others are subject distance, focal length and sensor size.[1][2]
  • Changing aperture also changes exposure, so balance it with shutter speed or ISO.
In photography
A portrait at f/1.8 isolates the face. A group photo at f/8 keeps every row sharp.
In cinematography
A wide T-stop gives a thin focus plane, which makes the focus puller’s work harder. The DOP balances the look against the risk of soft shots.
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1xf/1.41.4xf/22xf/2.82.9xf/44xf/5.65.7xf/87.9xf/1111.4xf/16
Figure 9. Approximate depth of field at each full stop, with f/1.4 as 1. With the same subject distance, focal length and sensor, depth of field grows roughly in proportion to the f-number.

Questions people ask

Does a wider aperture give a shallower depth of field?

Yes. A smaller f-number gives a shallower depth of field.

What else changes depth of field besides aperture?

Subject distance, focal length and sensor size.

References

  1. Creative Hut Academy (2025) Aperture. Lecture slides by Abin Alex and Anu Joseph.
  2. Langford, M., Fox, A. and Sawdon Smith, R. (2015) Langford’s Basic Photography, 10th edn. Abingdon: Routledge.

All 13 questions in this guide

  1. What is aperture, and what does it do?
  2. What is a diaphragm, and how does it work?
  3. What is the difference between absolute and relative aperture?
  4. How is the f-number written, and why does a bigger number mean a smaller opening?
  5. Why does each f-stop multiply by 1.4 and not by 2?
  6. What are full, half and third stops of aperture?
  7. What is effective aperture?
  8. What is lens speed, and what does maximum aperture mean?
  9. How do I set the aperture on my camera?
  10. What is the difference between an f-stop and a T-stop?
  11. Does a smaller aperture always make a sharper picture?
  12. How does aperture affect depth of field?
  13. How do cinematographers use aperture?
Previous: part 11Next: part 13
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Guide by Abin Alex and Anu Joseph, Creative Hut Academy.