Definition & Meaning of "stopping down"

What is "stopping down"?

Stopping down is a photographic technique where the lens aperture is set to a smaller opening to reduce the amount of light entering the camera. This adjustment increases the depth of field, allowing more of the scene to be in focus from the foreground to the background. Stopping down also helps to achieve sharper details in the image and can improve the overall image quality by reducing lens imperfections and increasing sharpness. This technique is commonly used to control exposure and enhance the clarity of the photograph.