ISO
ISO controls the amount of light that your camera lets in, and refers to the sensitivity of film (or digital sensors today). |
ISO 100 |
Outdoors and sunny |
ISO 400 |
Indoors and well lit, or outdoors and cloudy |
ISO 800 |
Indoors without flash |
ISO 1600 |
Dark, or fast movement |
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed controls how long the camera's shutter is open for. The longer it is open, the more light it lets in. |
1/2000s |
Super-fast subject, like a bird in flight |
1/1000s |
Fast subject, like a sports car moving |
1/500s |
Fast subject, like a normal car moving |
1/250s |
People moving, dancing, jumping |
1/125s |
People walking |
1/60s |
Slow-moving or stationary subject indoors |
1/20s |
Moving water |
1/10s |
Low-light, low-motion landscape, like a sunset |
1-3s |
Deliberate blur, like you might use for falling water or a crowd moving |
21-30s |
Dark skies, Milky Way |
10 minutes |
Star trails |
Anything from 1/60s down, you should consider using a tripod.
Aperture (F-stop numbers)
Aperture controls how open your lens is to receive light, and is measured with an F-stop number. The smaller the aperture, the larger the F-stop number and the less light is allowed into the lens. |
F/1.4, F/2, F/2.8 |
Low-light photos, very shallow depth of field, portraits with bokeh blur, astrophotography |
F/4, F/5.6, F/8 |
Good general use, greater depth of field, more objects in focus at different distances |
F/11, F/16, F/22 |
Landscapes, very well-lit photos, very deep depth of field |
Each lens has its own "sweet spot", and this is typically two to three F-stop values from the maximum aperture of that lens.
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The Exposure Triangle
The exposure triangle is three settings: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. Here are some examples of how to use it. |
Sunny Day, Outdoors |
F/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 400 |
Wide aperture for lots of light, fast shutter to reduce blur, low ISO to reduce noise. A bright, cheerful image with plenty of detail. |
Low-Light Night |
F/4, 1/20, ISO 1600 |
Moderate aperture to balance light and depth, slight blur, high ISO for low light. A cozy, warm image with a dreamy atmosphere. |
Creative Portraiture |
F/1.8, 1/125, ISO 200 |
Background blur highlighting subject, reduced subject blur, moderate ISO. A beautiful, shallow-focused portrait with a creamy bokeh. |
Exposure Issues
Overexposure |
An image might be faded, be too bright, and have low detail in bright areas. Decrease aperture, faster shutter speed, or decrease ISO. |
Underexposure |
An image is dark, and hard to see properly. Increase aperture, slower shutter speed, or increase ISO. |
Blown Highlights |
Bright areas of the image appear pure white (lost all detail). Use exposure compensation (-1/3 or -2/3 stop), decrease ISO, or faster shutter speed. |
Clipped Shadows |
Dark areas of the image appear pure black (lost all detail). Increase aperture, slower shutter speed, or increase ISO. |
Noise |
Image appears grainy. Decrease ISO, increase aperture, or slower shutter speed. |
Motion Blur |
Image appears blurry (e.g., with fast-moving subject). Faster shutter speed, decrease aperture, or increase ISO. |
Focal Length
The focal length of a lens is the distance, in millimeters, between the "nodal point" of the lens and the camera's sensor. |
A higher focal length lens has a smaller field of view, like it's zoomed in further. Good for photographing something small or far away. |
A lower focal length lens is good for wider photos, like landscapes. |
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