Vietnam, and more generally Southeast Asia, are full of visual pollution. We are surrounded by plastic bags, motorbikes, flashy karaoke signs and electric wires. As a result, there is often a need for us to hide these distractions in our photos.

Of course, if your subject is the mess, there’s no need mask it. But for a nice, clean portrait, aperture is an important tool to keep your images tidy.

Aperture is the function on your camera that allows you to control depth of field. A wide aperture means a more shallow depth of field, while a smaller aperture will give a longer one. In the simplest terms, aperture determines what is blurred in a photograph.

Accordingly, using the aperture mode on your camera will allow you to control this depth of field and remove any unwanted elements from your image. Of course, changing your angle would be the best option, but this isn’t always practical like when shooting in a narrow alleyway.

Every time you take a photo, you should ask yourself whether you want a blurred or sharp background, depending on what you want to highlight. As backgrounds can get pretty messy, a wider aperture can be extremely helpful, especially when it comes to "filling the frame."

Using the aperture mode on your camera can also make your life much easier. Unlike manual mode, where you have to constantly modify your settings to adapt to lighting, aperture mode employs an automatic shutter speed, resulting in excellent exposure. This translates to less time playing with camera settings, and more time focusing on composition, or trying to charm your subjects.

Etienne Bossot is a travel photographer who has been based in Hoi An for 7 years. He runs the popular Hoi An Photo tour & Workshop and leads photography tours across South East Asia.