Aperture seems to work in reverse to common sense. Measured in f/stops, the smaller the f/stop, the larger the aperture or opening of the camera’s iris and the more light is allowed to hit the sensor. It also controls the Depth of Field or how much or how little the plane of focus is in your photographs.
In the photo of Expedition EVEREST, I wanted everything sharply focused (a large plane of focus) from the tops of the trees to the clouds in the sky.

Expedition EVEREST in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/18, 200 ISO, +0.3 EV, 35mm Focal Length
To get the maximum depth of field, I moved the Dial Mode to the A position to put my camera in Aperture Priority mode. I now had control of the aperture or f/stop setting by turning the command dial (this may be different for your camera so check your manual. There I go again!). I took a series of photos of Expedition EVEREST, waiting for the train to enter the mountain. It took a few tries to get the timing down. Once I downloaded the files to my laptop, I liked this one the best at f/18. It shows every detail in mountain’s “rock” and “snow” with a nice base frame of trees and top frame of sky. I took this while waiting outside the Theater in the Wild to see Finding Nemo — The Musical.
On the Maharajah Jungle Trek, the sun angle on this hanging Malayan Flying Fox showed how thin the membranes are in his wings. To make sure the background went out of focus, I selected an aperture of f/5.6 for a narrow plane of focus. This technique is called selective focus and is a great way of separating your subject from a busy or unappealing background.
Trending Now
We asked our resident Disney adults which ride at Hollywood Studios they would rope drop...
Amazon is clearing out the Disney vault!
Amazon has Loungeflys on sale as part of Prime Day!
Why isn't Disney getting more specific about a soon-to-be-changed ride?
For a limited time, you can find some AMAZING Amazon Prime Day deals online.If you...
This big celebrity recently went to all four parks at Disney World!
Amazon Prime Day is giving us amazing deals on Oura Ring accessories!
Let's breakdown the major changes coming to Disney World this Fall 2025.
We're sharing our absolute favorite Disney finds that are on sale right now!
Let's have a chat about an Oura Ring that Disney Adults just can’t seem to...
Check out one of the most unique offerings you can do at EPCOT's Japan Pavilion
Don't let the good deals slip away! We rounded up some of the BEST Prime...
Get over to BoxLunch NOW!
Disney's Boardwalk Villas got a scathing review recently that could indicate some issues with a...
We found the best Disney essentials you can get on sale on Amazon right now!
New Disney+ perks have arrived!
Amazon is running a massive sale right now and we've spotted some of our favorite...
Don't miss out on this brand new Disney World hotel discount during one of the...
A flight bound for New York was recently forced to land on a small island...
5 shirts every grandma will need on her next Disney trip!