[3] The journal’s mission, as stated in its inaugural issue: Aperture has been originated to communicate with serious photographers and creative people everywhere, whether professional, amateur or student... Aperture is intended to be a mature journal in which photographers can talk straight to each other, discuss the problems that face photography as profession and art, share their experiences, comment on what goes on, descry the new potentials.

(White joined the staff of the George Eastman House, and in 1955 began teaching at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

[8] In 1965, Aperture launched a full-fledged book-publishing program (with Edward Weston: Photographer, The Flame of Recognition, edited by Nancy Newhall) that evolved in tandem with the magazine over the following decades.

The magazine faced perpetual financial challenges in this period; there was discussion of ceasing publication in 1967, but White was encouraged by the creativity and business acumen of Hoffman, writing in an editorial: "When Michael Hoffman became the publisher of Aperture, its physical growth was assured and a new cycle was started.

In 1979, with issue 82, a new design by Malcolm Grear was unveiled; from this point, Aperture’s format and look remained basically unchanged for more than twenty years.

[1] Under Michael Hoffman, Aperture was developed by editors including Carole Kismaric, Steve Dietz, Lawrence Frascella, Mark Holborn, and Nan Richardson, while Hoffman always played an integral part in each issue’s conception (and was sometimes credited as Editor on mastheads).

Most issues were edited by members of Aperture's in-house editorial staff; others were guest-edited by outside aficionados; among the editors were Mark Holborn, Nan Richardson, and Melissa Harris.

Harris became the magazine's principal editor in 1992; under her guidance over the following two decades Aperture would place increased focus on social issues, as well as photo-based work, film, video, and new forms of digital media.

Harris furthered the magazine's longtime practice of including writings by both photography specialists and others, with a view to widening Aperture’s audience and scope.

From 1992 to 2002, Harris generally edited two issues of the magazine a year, and invited outside editors to organize and conceptualize the remaining two.

Among the guest editors during this time were Rebecca Busselle, Peggy Roalf, Michael Sand, Diana C. Stoll, and Andrew Wilkes.

Along with Wendy Byrne, Roger Gorman and Yolanda Cuomo were also frequently employed as issue designers in this period.

During this period, the magazine continued to explore photography in its many varied forms, as the medium underwent radical changes with the advent of digitization, the Internet, and social media.

[8] In Aperture 167 (Summer 2002), curator, critic, and frequent contributor to Aperture Mark Haworth-Booth observed: Michael E. Hoffman was a brave, bold, and occasionally bloody-minded photography publisher.... Hoffman moved mountains to create marvelous publications—over 450 books and exhibition catalogs, plus more than a hundred issues of the magazine.

[14] In the years following Hoffman’s death, the foundation was headed by a series of interim directors, and then by Ellen Harris (2003–7)[15] and Juan García de Oteyza (2008–10).

[5] The magazine’s editorial staff put plans in place for a major relaunch of Aperture, with a new focus on the changing state of photography.

"[22] The magazine's current designers are Henrik Kubel and Scott Williams of the British firm A2/SW/HK; the magazine's new format features an increased number of pages, separate sections devoted to "Words" and "Pictures" (printed on different paper stocks), and a larger trim size: 12 by 9+1⁄4 inches (300 mm × 230 mm).

This inaugural issue of the magazine includes an introductory text by Aperture’s founders, Minor White’s essay "Exploratory Camera", and Nancy Newhall's "The Caption", as well as photographs by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Lisette Model, and Minor White Monographic issue conceived, designed, and written by photographer Frederick Sommer (also released as a trade book, Frederick Sommer)[23] Double issue, edited by Nancy Newhall, devoted to the work of Weston (an expanded version of this issue was published as a trade book in 1965, Edward Weston: Photographer, The Flame of Recognition)[24] The first of four issues of Aperture that accompanied exhibitions organized by Minor White at the Hayden Gallery at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)[6]: 11 A monographic double issue, guest-edited by James Baker Hall, devoted to the work of self-taught Kentucky photographer Meatyard; published also as a trade book Edited by Charles Hagen and Nan Richardson, this issue focuses on both established and emerging artists practicing in the U.S. South This issue, the first edited by Melissa Harris, addresses the topics of censorship and images of the body[25] Commemorating four decades of Aperture’s publication, this issue includes a compendium of photographs and writings by friends of the magazine, with a commissioned cover image by artist Robert Rauschenberg ", A retrospective compilation of photographs, with a textual history of Aperture's first half-century by author R. H. Cravens (also published as a hardcover trade book, titled Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50)[26] Published on the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, this issue includes a portfolio of photographs and critical writings addressing the radically altering state of photography, titled “The Anxiety of Images” The first issue of Aperture’s relaunch, this publication includes photographs and writings addressing the myriad new forms and directions the medium is taking Produced with guest-editor Susan Meiselas, this issue considers the impact of new media on socially engaged documentary work Numerous thematic issues of Aperture magazine have been produced to accompany related exhibitions, presented at Aperture's own Burden Gallery and Aperture Gallery, and at other venues.