F/8 and be there

tbh I rarely use F/8

Author

Ubyssey Photo
July 16, 2025

I can’t remember where I first heard the saying “f/8 and be there” even though I’m pretty sure it was only a few weeks ago.

Anyway, this saying describes the importance of showing up quickly to take photos, and how f/8 is generally a good aperture (not too much blur, but also a good amount of light exposure). The term was coined by street and crime scene photographer Arthur Fellig also known as Weegee… a guy who looks so stereotypically like a 20th century crime photographer that it is unsettling.

Do I live by this phrase? Not at all. I’m an aperture extremist for better or for worse. I flip wildly between f/5 or f/18 with nothing in between. But I also haven’t shot on film since high school. So aperture probably works a little different for analog lenses.

Anyway, definitely not a rule but when in doubt, maybe you can try it out!

If I were an intimidating man and wasn’t afraid of lung cancer, I could totally pull off this aesthetic.

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