There's an old "rule" for aperture from the film days. You used to crack open a Kodak box to get to the can of film inside, and there, in the underside of the box would be the aperture guide. 5.6 for cloudy, 8 for sunny, 1 for very sunny. Of course, your depth of field (DOF) would be deep, you'd get details for the subject and about four-fifths of the way into the image.
Sometimes, it pays to break a rule. (For photography, people.) A portrait can acquire a dramatic and dynamic quality when you use a very shallow depth of field or DOF. Here the aperture 2.8f is used, creating an image where the eyes are sharp, and the rest are soft. Also notice that the model's lips are somewhat sharp. Care was taken to have the eyes and lips on almost the same plane; that way, the most beautiful features of the model, Janice, are accentuated.
Go ahead! Play with DOF.
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