Photography basics: The exposure triangle

Please support the blog by hitting the follower button. On PC it's on the top right of the page and on mobile it's on the sidebar.In this guide, we will be discussing the essential ingredients needed to start yourself up in the photography world. There is a lot of information to take in but don’t let that deter you from progressing. Each subject will be broken down into categories to help you digest it more easily. When first delving into the photography field it can seem like taking a specific photo or to achieve a specific look can feel almost impossible. This in itself can discourage you from carrying on but the main objective is to power through this self-doubt and simply just carry on shooting! It is very easy to get lost in youtube videos and Instagram photos of other photographers, finding yourself constantly comparing your work to theirs. As mentioned before you just need to shoot excessively. Practice, practice, and more practice. This is the only way any progression will show through. Don’t get me wrong, looking to professional photographers for inspiration for your work whether it be landscapes, portraits, or even just to photograph your pet can be very helpful. The point is to not get caught up with it. With saying that let us get into the first topic of discussion.

The exposure triangle 

Exposure for photographers is how an image is recorded by the camera sensor and how much light is captured. The exposure triangle isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It consists of three components, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Once you have mastered adjusting these components, taking a well-exposed image will become second nature.

ISO

This term refers to the camera’s sensitivity to light. If you take a look at the image above it shows the ISO value is determined by numbers. So If the ISO value is low (for example, ISO 100), the sensitivity to light will also be lower, the opposite also applies to if it’s a higher ISO. As a photographer, you will need to know how to adjust this component correctly as it can change your photograph drastically. It works as follows: Generally, in perfect lighting conditions, you want to be at a very low ISO. The reason for this is, there is already enough light coming into your camera sensor. So there is no reason to adjust the sensitivity to a higher setting. Typically the higher the ISO you adjust to the more grain you will introduce to your image. This grain will show more apparent in darker areas of your image. The trick especially when shooting at nighttime is to shoot at a wider aperture/F-stop (unless you’re shooting a long exposure, which we will discuss at a later stage), have a low ISO, and slower shutter speed. Once gaining this concept you will be able to experiment with the various images you want to capture and also feel comfortable in any type of lighting conditions that are thrown your way.

Aperture

After discussing ISO is the camera’s sensitivity, the aperture is all about controlling how much light enters your camera to the sensor. The aperture is the opening in your camera. Under the closer inspection of your camera, you will see the aperture blades that open and close. Whether your camera is wide open or closed is dependant on certain factors. These factors are based on what f stop you’re shooting at (these values can be seen in the image above). To understand this concept is simple, The wider the lens (open) is the more light it lets in while the more narrow (closed) it is the less light it lets in. Specific things come with how open and closed the aperture is. When it is wide open the depth of field will be narrow and less of the image will be in focus but when it is closed more of the image will become in focus. The numerical values for aperture range from multiple f-stops, 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, 2.0, 2.8, 3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and 22.

Shutter speed

The shutter on your camera is why you hear a click every time you take a photograph. You could say that shutter speed is probably the most important out of the three components of the exposure triangle. This is measured in fractions of a second, for example, 1/1000s. So in simple terms, if you had it set to this value your camera sensor would only be exposed to light for one-thousandth of a second. If you can only take one thing away from this it would be to remember that when the shutter speed number is a smaller fraction like 1/1000s the shutter will open and close faster. When you have mastered adjusting shutter speed you can experiment with a shot. When using a slower shutter speed you can introduce motion blur into your image (which would be especially good for shooting a waterfall, to get that dreamy-effect). Shooting at a faster shutter speed will allow you to take action shots and freeze your subject in motion (especially great for shooting sports). 

Conclusion

when combining all of these components ISO, aperture, and shutter speed you can create perfectly exposed images. When adjusting the components slightly, the images will alter. If you increase the f-stop (closing the aperture) to decrease light. You will also need to adjust the other two components accordingly, otherwise, your image can come out too blurry or overexposed/underexposed. I hope this short guide has helped to grasp the basics of the exposure triangle and photography. If you liked this content stay tuned for more posts that will enhance your photography skills.