Exposure elements you should know
When talking about exposure, there are three main exposure elements, aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed.
Exposure Elements | Aperture Diagram
Exposure elements work together to determine exposure, and since they impact each other, you must consider all three when making changes. To take a good photo, you must know the amount of light necessary to achieve your desired result so you can choose these settings accordingly.
Most cameras have automatic settings, but the photos can often be rather boring, especially if you are looking for something a little more creative. If you know how to control exposure elements yourself, you can experiment until you learn how to create interesting and intriguing pictures.
What is Aperture?
Aperture is one of the exposure elements in determining how your camera captures light. Basically, it is the hole in the front that allows the light to reach the sensor, and by adjusting the size of this hole you can change the quality of your photos. Aperture actually controls how wide the lens shutter opens, which means it also determines how much light reaches the sensor.
Aperture is also used to control what is referred to as ‘depth of field’, or how much of the picture is in focus. A small aperture means everything in the field will be in focus, whereas a larger aperture will result in the foreground being sharper while the background will be blurred. By learning how to use this setting you can create interesting photos by focusing on everything or drawing attention to one subject by blurring other objects or backgrounds.
What is Shutter Speed?
The shutter is exposure elements which a part of the camera that opens up, allowing light to reach the sensor so a digital image can be recorded. The amount of time that this shutter remains open is referred to as shutter speed. A faster speed means the shutter is open for a shorter time and less light will reach the sensor.
With a slower speed, the opposite applies. Knowing how to adjust the shutter speed and the affect it will have on your pictures is an important part of photography. For example, if you want to capture a moving object or freeze something in motion, a faster shutter speed will result in a sharper image, whereas a slower shutter speed will give you a blurred effect.
What is ISO speed?
ISO speed is exposure elements that refers to the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to incoming light, and you can make adjustments so that you can still take photos in situations where proper exposure would be difficult, such as a dark room or extremely bright sunshine.
By changing the sensitivity, you are less limited and can capture those special moments regardless of lighting conditions. The higher the ISO speed the faster the camera will collect light, therefore you will want to increase the speed when in dimmer light, at dawn or dusk, or when photographing moving objects in extreme lighting. In sun or bright lighting, you will want to lower the ISO speed for better quality photos.
As with anything, the best way to learn is to experiment. Be creative, try new things, and learn how your equipment will respond in certain situations. By understanding basic digital photography, you will be equipped with the knowledge necessary to begin taking great photos that will encapsulate your memories for years to come.
Tagged with: aperture • basic photography • ISO speed • main exposure elements • photography concept • shutter speed • three exposure elements
Filed under: Concept
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!