Playing with Light: Exposure 101

Written by Louise Wright

 

So, you’ve decided to give photography a go and have invested in an awesome new camera. Now there’s only one problem – you’re not too sure what aperture, ISO and shutter speed mean! Well, that’s what the CameraPro team is here for. Let’s get to it.

  

Camera Exposure Settings Explained for Beginners

The key thing to understand with photography is that it’s all about LIGHT. And using the exposure settings on your camera will control how your camera sees and processes the light that comes in via the lens. Makes sense, right?

 

Now, the three key elements of exposure are ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. Using these three settings will control how your photographs look, and knowing how to control them will help you get the most out of your camera and create interesting and beautiful images.

So, what do ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture actually mean?

 

What is ISO on a camera?  

Essentially, ISO controls how sensitive your camera’s sensor will be to the light coming in via the lens.

 

The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain in the image (also called ‘noise’).

 

ISO can range from 50 – 102400, however not all cameras will have a range this large. If you’re wanting to do a lot of low light photography, then ISO range and capability is something you should consider when buying your camera.

 

What ISO should I use?

As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to keep your ISO as low as possible (generally ISO 100) whenever possible. This is because the lower the ISO, the less grain will be visible in the image.

 

Of course you should always bump it up when required - a grainy photo is always better than an out of focus photo!  

 

Below are examples of when to use a low or high ISO:

 

What is shutter speed on a camera?

Simply put, shutter speed is how quickly the camera will open and close its shutter.

 

Shutter speed range generally goes from 30 seconds to 1/8000^th of a second or sometimes even faster! As with ISO, not all cameras will have this exact shutter speed range, and if you’re planning on using a lot of fast shutter speeds, shutter speed range is worth considering when buying a camera.

 

It’s also worth noting that the shutter speed is limited to the style of camera – for example DSLR cameras can have up to 1/8000^th second shutter speed because of the mechanical shutter. Other cameras such as mirrorless cameras can have incredibly fast shutter speeds such as 1/32000^th second with the electronic shutter.

 

What shutter speed should I use?

Generally use a fast shutter speed for freezing moving subjects and a slow (or long) shutter speed for situations where you want to blur movement for long exposures.

 

Pro Tip!

Want to practice using different shutter speeds?

 

• Find a moving object - something easy to access and that has recurring movement (such as running water, an animal in your back yard, or a plant moving in the breeze)

• Photograph the subject with a variety of shutter speeds such as 1/10^th, 1/125^th, and 1/1000^th of a second

• Review the images and take note of how the movement looks comparatively across the three images – for the slow shutter speed the movement will be blurred, and for the very fast shutter speed the movement will be snap frozen.

 

What is aperture?  

Aperture (also known as F Stop or F Number) is the size of the opening inside the camera lens when you take a picture. The aperture controls how much of your image is in focus (also known as the depth of field).

 

It’s worth noting - The aperture is completely dependent on the lens you use (rather than the camera), and not all lenses have the same aperture range.

 

The aperture scale goes from F1.0 to F32, however, very few lenses will offer the entire scale.  Aperture is important to consider when buying a lens, as different lenses have different aperture ranges.

 

Which aperture should I use?

Typically a small F number is used when you want a small amount of the image in focus (small/shallow depth of field).

 

A large F number is used when you want a large amount of the image in focus (large/deep depth of field).

 

Below are two examples: 

Pro Tip!

Want to practice using different apertures?

 

• Find a still object - something easy to access (such as a piece of furniture, a patient friend, your pet sitting still)

• Photograph the subject with a variety of apertures such as F/4.0 and F/16, making sure there is distance between the subject and the background

• Review the images and take note of how the separation of the subject and background looks comparatively across the images, For the small aperture number the subject should stand out from the background and the background should be totally out of focus. For the large aperture both subject and background should be sharp.

 

OK, now let’s put it all together – here’s some examples of different shooting scenarios.

 

 

To control aperture, shutter speed and ISO individually you can shoot in manual mode.

 

If you’d prefer to only have to control either aperture or shutter speed, you can shoot in either aperture or shutter speed priority modes. You can then still adjust your ISO in either of these modes, or simply set ISO to Auto. 

 

As with everything else in photography, it’s really about what works best for you.

 

Now that you know what aperture, ISO and shutter speed are, get out there and experiment! Try new subjects, new gear and new conditions. Make mistakes, and make something amazing! At CameraPro, we’re right behind you every step of the way.

 Need more advice on how to take the right exposure?

Ask one of our knowledgeable team in store, online or over the phone.