Photography tips

Using aperture creatively

Mount Pilatus massif in Central Switzerland surrounded by fog in the evening light

Key tips

Choose a medium aperture like f/8 for landscape subjects to achieve a balance between detail sharpness and light intake.
Select a medium aperture at high focal lengths to capture the subject clearly.
Select a medium aperture to ensure the entire summit subject remains sharp.

Photographs on this topic

5 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects Mountains City Architecture Landscape Pilatus Lucerne Central Switzerland Lake Lucerne

Nocturnal view of the old town of Bern with illuminated Bern Minster

50 mm · f/14 · 25 s · ISO 400

Brown bear in front of a wall at the Bern Bear Park

400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/500 s · ISO 6400

A resting brown bear in the Bear Pit in Bern

400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/400 s · ISO 6400

View of the Bern Minster over the roofs of the old town of Bern

110 mm · f/5.6 · 1/500 s · ISO 250

Aerial view of the Zytglogge clock tower and the rooftops of Bern's old town

110 mm · f/10 · 1/1000 s · ISO 400