It's probably one of the most common questions photographers ask themselves. While there's no single answer, I'l break it down here.
The most common approach, favored by many street photographers, is using a high aperture value (f/9 and upwards). This allows for creating layers, keeping both near and far objects relatively sharp.
But as we know, there is no right or wrong when it comes to the creative process. Yes, using high aperture values allows us to have everything sharp and in focus, but do you always need layers and a closed aperture? Not necessarily.
Even at shutter speeds as high as 1/8000s under bright sun, using very low apertures might still be impossible. This leaves you with two options: using a neutral density (ND) filter, or closing down the aperture.
In the fast-paced world of street photography, adjusting the aperture is a much quicker and easier option than swapping filters.
To keep the highlights under control, and even underexpose slightly to match my idea, I kept the aperture at f/11.
Let’s explore some scenarios to understand different aperture settings for street photography.
Reason to shoot with closed aperture
Using Layers
You want your surroundings or background to contribute to the narrative.
Using a closed aperture in street photography can be beneficial when you want to maximize depth of field, ensuring that both your foreground and background stay sharp. This is useful for scenes where you want to capture the entire street, including people at various distances.
Photographing a scene like this with an open aperture would disconnect our hero from the background, and the story would feel different. It would be as if he were dancing alone. By including these extra layers, we can see the other people who help form the whole story.
Using slow shutter speed for creative effects
Sometimes you want to create an image with a sharp foreground and a blurred background using motion blur. To achieve this, lower the shutter speed to a range like 1/25 and focus on a static object.
When you go so low with shutter speed, you have no choice but push the aperture higher. Often up to f/16
This setting results in a sharp capture of everything stationary in the frame, while moving objects appear blurred. This technique usually requires a higher aperture value to compensate for the lower shutter speed.
Reasons to shoot with an open aperture in street photography
When there isn't enough light
In low light conditions, a closed aperture simply won't cut it. You can raise the ISO or slow down the shutter speed, but eventually, opening the aperture becomes the better option.
It was around 4am, and the only source of light was a bare bulb.
When you want a shallow depth of field
Shallow depth of field is a good way to bring more attention to your subject by blurring the background and creating a sense of isolation, drawing the viewer's eye naturally toward the sharper area of the image.
Open aperture is well suited to portraits
Shallow depth of field isolates the subject and creates a pleasing bokeh effect, drawing attention to them.
While an open aperture works well for most portraits, keep in mind that if you want a group portrait where everyone needs to be sharp, you'll need a narrower aperture for a deeper depth of field.
When you want to bring all the attention to a single point
Sometimes you want to draw the viewer's eye to one specific point in the image, the point you think is most interesting, especially when the background is busy and needs isolating.
This technique is especially useful in street portraits, where you want all the focus on the person in the frame. Aperture plays a key role here. By using a wider aperture (a lower f-number), you create a shallow depth of field. This throws the background out of focus, creating a pleasing blur known as bokeh.
For example, when photographing a portrait on a busy street, a wider aperture keeps the person sharp while softening the background details. This way, you can still convey a sense of the surroundings, the energy of the street scene, without the clutter of background elements stealing attention from your subject.
When you want to isolate your subject from the rest
It often happens that you have several subjects in the frame, but want to give importance to only one. The best way to achieve this is by focusing on it and using a wide aperture to blur the rest, giving them less emphasis.
When the aperture value doesn't really matter
While a wide aperture offers creative advantages in many situations, there are cases where adjusting the aperture won't make a significant visual difference to the final image. Let's look at a few examples where open and closed apertures produce very similar results.
Detail shots
There isn't a big difference if a shot like this is taken at f/4 or f/11. You'll want something like f/4 for the sharpest, most in-focus area, in this case, the fingers, but the difference at a higher aperture will be insignificant.
When your background has no impact
If you have a solid background, there will be very little to no difference between low and high apertures. The scene will look much the same. I could shoot this image at f/4 or f/11 and you wouldn't see the difference.
When the background is too close
If you have enough light, the background is clean, and you're relatively far from your subject, you can get a similar-looking image at both f/2.8 and f/11.
When your subject is too far
As the distance between the camera and the subject increases, the depth of field itself deepens dramatically. This means a large portion of the scene, including your subject, will likely fall within the acceptable sharpness zone regardless of whether you use f/1.4 (shallow depth of field) or f/8 (deeper depth of field).
The further your subject is, the less it's impacted by depth of field. Photographing someone at 100m, f/1.4 or f/8 will have very little visual difference.
Exception to consider:
Subject size relative to background: even at 100 meters, if your subject is very small compared to the background (like a person against a vast landscape), a wider aperture (f/1.4) might create a slightly more blurred background than a narrower one (f/8). The difference, though, will likely be subtle.
Summary
While many street photographers prefer an aperture of f/9 and upwards, it's not a strict rule; it's simply a common practice that others tend to follow. In reality, your aperture settings for street photography should be guided by four factors:
- Available light
- Desired depth of field
- Background Distance
- Creative idea