Need help getting the right light and exposure combination to capture better images. Understanding the exposure triangle and how to apply it will help you improve your photography and deliver incredible pictures to your clients.
eosdoc.com gathered essential definitions, information, and tips to help you better understand the exposure triangle and how its elements work together to produce stunning images.
What is the Exposure Triangle?
In photography, the exposure triangle explains the relationship between shutter speed, ISO (International Organization of Standardization), and aperture. Whether you’re shooting old-school film, with a mirrorless, or digital camera, these three factors are at the center of every exposure. Consider the following:
Shutter Speed
In photography, shutter speed (exposure time) is when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light when capturing a photograph. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is proportional to the set exposure time.
What is a Good Shutter Speed for Beginners? Beginner photographers should use a minimum shutter speed of 1/focal length (for a 200mm lens, use a shutter speed of at least 1/200th).
Is a Higher Shutter Speed Better? Not always. The faster the shutter speed, the easier it is to photograph a subject without blur and “freeze” motion, and the smaller the effects of camera shake. In contrast, slower shutter speeds are suited to suggesting motion, like flowing water or other moving subjects.
What Happens if My Shutter Speed is too High? The image taken can end up too dark. The camera may have trouble communicating with shutter-dependent equipment. You may also find yourself with many photos that are crystal clear, but that may have been taken too quickly to produce your intended product.
ISO
ISO is your camera’s sensitivity to light (film or digital sensor). A lower ISO value means less sensitivity to light, while a higher ISO means more sensitivity. Changing your ISO will make your image brighter or darker. Typically, the lower the ISO, the better. That’s because the lower the ISO, the less noise and grain you’ll have in your shots.
How Do I Use ISO on My Camera? Select the value you want, or set it to auto. For higher-end cameras, there may be a dedicated “ISO” button on the camera. Press it while spinning one of the setting wheels to change your ISO. If you don’t see a button labeled “ISO,” it is still possible that your camera will let you program one.
What is Good Camera ISO? The “normal” range of camera ISO is about 200 to 1600. With modern digital cameras, you can often reach settings as low as 50 or as high as three million (depending on the camera model). The number chosen sets the amount of light needed for good exposure.
What Happens When Your ISO is Too High? Shooting at high ISO values can cause your photos to appear grainy. In digital photography, this is called “noise.” Some photographers want their images to be grainy, mainly black & white photographers, but unless you are using “noise” deliberately, it’s considered undesirable.
Is ISO the Same as Shutter Speed? No. Your camera’s ISO setting controls the amount of light by the sensor’s sensitivity. The equipment’s shutter speed controls the amount of light by the length of time. The third element being the aperture (the size of the lens opening), controls the amount of light by the intensity via a series of different-sized openings.
Aperture
The aperture is the opening in a photographic lens that admits the light. Aperture is calibrated in f/stops and is typically represented by numbers like 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, and 16.
How Does Aperture Affect a Photo? Aperture adjustments affect the depth of field (the range between the nearest and farthest objects in focus within a picture). A shallow depth of field, which blurs the background to help pop the photo’s in-focus subject, is achieved with a wide aperture.
Is it Better to Use a Higher or Lower Aperture? A higher aperture like f/16 means less light is entering the camera. This setting is better when you want everything in your shot to be in focus, like shooting a family shot or a landscape. A lower aperture means more light is entering the camera, which is better for low-light scenarios.
At What Aperture is a Lens Sharpest? The sharpest aperture on any lens is generally about two or three settings from wide open. This guides photographers to shoot somewhere around ƒ/8 or ƒ/11 and is bound to get you close to the sharpest aperture possible.
What Mode do Most Photographers Use? Aperture Priority Mode. This is the mode most amateur photographers, and many pros shoot in. When you shoot in aperture priority mode, you set the aperture (the f-stop) and the ISO. The camera will then set a shutter speed (completing the exposure triangle) to properly expose the picture.
How to Use Exposure
The correct exposure is the one in which you retain information in the shadows or the highlights. This exposure takes full advantage of the camera’s sensor capacity to capture as much information as possible from the scene, capturing significant detail in the shadows and highlights.
Here’s how to arrive at an exposure triangle setting that works best for your needs:
- Set your shutter speed and ISO to a fixed setting
- Start taking pictures while adjusting your aperture higher or lower for each shot
When you find the aperture setting you like, repeat the above steps with:
- A set shutter speed and aperture
- Take a series of pictures while adjusting the ISO setting
When you settle on an ISO value, repeat the steps again, only adjusting your shutter speed.
Once you become familiar with how each setting works together, you can adjust your camera settings to shoot in nearly any lighting condition with spectacular results.
The Exposure Triangle
In this article, you discovered the exposure triangle and how to apply it to your photography to produce better images for your clients.
Knowing the exposure triangle and how to manipulate its components will help you capture better images for whatever type of photography you take.
Not fully understanding the exposure triangle will leave you guessing at the right camera settings when trying to capture perfect, in-focus, and properly exposed images.
Sources:
nfi.edu/exposure-triangle/
rmcad.edu/how-to-use-the-exposure-triangle/
sites.harding.edu/gclayton/Photography/Topics/006_ShutterSpeed.html
facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/iso1.htm
web.mit.edu/sp.747/www/2007/Fstops/