Photography 101

Photography Basics

• Big Three in Photography: The "big three" typically refers to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Identifying a component that is not part of this trio is crucial for understanding foundational photography.

• Aperture:

  • Refers to the opening in a camera lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera.
  • Measured in f-stops (e.g., f/2.8, f/4), which indicate the size of the aperture opening.
  • Affects depth of field, allowing for blurred backgrounds (shallow depth) or sharp focus (deep depth).

• Larger f-stop number:

  • Indicates a smaller aperture opening.
  • Allows less light to enter the camera.
  • Creates a greater depth of field, enabling more of the image to be in focus.

• Shutter Speed:

  • Determines the length of time the camera's shutter remains open to expose light onto the camera sensor.
  • Measured in seconds or fractions of a second (e.g., 1/1000, 1 second).
  • Influences motion blur; faster shutter speeds freeze action, while slower speeds reveal motion.

• ISO:

  • Represents the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light.
  • A higher ISO value allows for shooting in lower light conditions but may introduce noise/grain in the image.
  • Balancing ISO with aperture and shutter speed is key to achieving well-exposed photographs.