The Case Against Shooting Wide Open

Main Ideas

• Wide apertures can become a compositional crutch. A very shallow depth of field can make a subject stand out, but it may also distract from a weak composition rather than improve it.
• Fast lenses originally served a practical purpose: They allowed photographers to take pictures in low light, especially when film had limited sensitivity. Their wide maximum apertures were not primarily intended to create dramatic blur.
• Dave prefers a more natural-looking depth of field for much of his photography. He often shoots around f/8—sometimes f/5.6—because he likes scenes to appear broadly clear and resemble how he experiences them. He finds a nearby, heavily blurred foreground can be distracting.
• Composition matters more than aperture or equipment. A compelling image should not depend on blur to make it interesting. Dave’s rule of thumb is that if a scene does not work at f/8, opening up to f/1.4 may not fix it.
• Fast lenses are still valuable. Dave uses them to keep a consistent camera-and-lens setup across different lighting conditions. In bright light, he can stop down; indoors or late in the day, he can open the lens as needed while maintaining his preferred shutter speed and image sharpness.
• Shallow depth of field can be an intentional choice. Dave considers it more appropriate in some situations, particularly with longer focal lengths such as 75mm or 90mm, where the perspective is already less like ordinary human vision. Background blur can also help separate a subject from a cluttered setting.
• His approach is a preference, not a universal rule. He acknowledges that shooting wide open is a legitimate stylistic choice, while encouraging photographers to examine whether they rely on it automatically.

Practical Guidance

Use Exposure Trade-Offs Deliberately

In the video’s film example, Dave explains the Sunny 16 rule: with ISO 64 film in bright sun, a starting point is roughly 1/60 second at f/16. To preserve exposure while using a faster shutter speed, open the aperture by an equivalent amount:

• About 1/125 at f/11
• About 1/250 at f/8
• About 1/500 at f/5.6

Choose What to Trade When Light Falls

• Open the aperture to admit more light.
• Use a slower shutter speed, accepting the risk of motion blur.
• Use more light-sensitive film or a higher digital ISO, if appropriate.

Set Exposure According to the Photograph’s Needs

Dave’s personal priority is to keep ISO low when possible, choose a shutter speed that keeps the image sharp, and open the aperture only as much as the available light requires.

If you tend to shoot wide open, review your images with these questions:

• Would this picture still work at f/8?
• Would it work at f/16?
• If not, can you make the composition more engaging without relying on background blur?

Choose lenses for how you actually use them. Rather than seeking a lens solely for its wide-open look, Dave suggests finding one that performs well at the apertures you commonly use, then opening it up when your work or the lighting calls for it.

Speaker and Source

Dave Herring is the video’s presenter and the source of the photography opinions and examples.