Aperture help on my dslr?
I shoot with a nikon d3100 but i'm just starting out and i need help understanding exactly what the aperture does and how it works
Spend some time on this site and learn how to balance the ISO, shutter speed and lens aperture
http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/
The APERTURE (opening) controls the amount of light that the sensor will read. Usually, a narrow aperture will occur when you have good, strong light. When light is dim, the aperture opens up wider to allow more light through to the sensor.
It's the same principle as the pupils in your eyes - you wake up in a room with subdued lighting and your eyes pretty much are able to focus in that light level, but if you all of a sudden put the bedroom light on, you screw your eyes up to minimise the amount of light hitting your retina.
You can find plenty of information on the mechanics of a lens aperture in a bookstore or online, so I won't go into detail that way. But you might better understand the concept this way:
Think of the camera and lens just like your own eyes. Just as the camera lens has an aperture, Your iris is a natural aperture for your eye. In a dimly lit room at night, it dilates open to let in more light. Conversely, on a bright day it closes down to let in just the right amount of light so your brain perceives what you see properly exposed.
The lens has a mechanical "iris" in order to let in the right amount of light to the sensor, just as your own eyes have an iris to let in the right amount of light to your retina.
Do you mean the Apple program?
Try googling the information… There are loads of websites:
http://www.photography-basics.com/
http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips/aperture-shutterspeed-iso/
Time to learn about the Exposure Triangle which consists of Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed. This site will help you understand how all three must be in balance and work together to produce a correct exposure:
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography
This site will also help you to better understand your D3100:
http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d3100/index.html Who better than Nikon to teach you to use your Nikon D3100?
The aperture is formed with the iris which is a series of overlapping blades within a lens. A photographer can adjust the size of the aperture to control depth of field and the amount of light that hits the sensor. A small aperture results in a deep depth of field and a wide aperture results in a shallow depth of field. The aperture value is also known as an f/stop or f/number. A small number is a wider aperture and a large number is a small aperture. That always confuses beginners. The f/number is the focal length divided by aperture diameter ƒ/d