Most of us grew up with point and shoot cameras (yes, I’m talking about our smartphones!) that didn’t ask us what we wanted the end result to look like. Simply point the camera, press the button, and viola… you have a picture! In today’s Instagram world, we can even select from a series of preset filters (based on your phone and app) that can give us some pretty cool effects, making us feel like professional photographers. Proper exposure? smh…What’s that??
But as photographers, whether hobbyist or professional, we focus more on the creative aspects of the images we capture. The composition of the image, and the message or story it represents. We don’t (or shouldn’t) rely so much on the preset filters that are available within social media apps, but more so on our understanding of the art of photography and our ability to manipulate it to express ourselves. This is the essence of what we do… what we are passionate about.
For me, one of the most intimidating aspects of getting into real photography was understanding what aperture, shutter speed and ISO were as it relates to taking good pictures. What were they? Are they separate, or do they work in conjunction with each other? How do they impact my final image? Are there any benefits to understanding them? How does achieving proper exposure benefit me in post production? Ok, the reality is… I didn’t ask myself any of these questions because quite frankly, I just didn’t understand. I didn’t realize that I could adjust the opening in my lens to control the amount of light that came into my camera. I had no clue that the shutter speed of my camera could make a difference depending on the time of day I was taking pictures, or that my camera’s sensitivity to light could impact the amount of noise on the image itself. Nor did I understand that each of these aspects of photography could be combined and used to create something all my own!
About a week after buying my first DSLR (Nikon D3300), I was searching YouTube for information about aperture, shutter speed and ISO and found this video. I thought the filling cups with water analogy was eloquent and extremely informative. As a new photographer, it definitely opened up my eyes to understanding not only what proper exposure was, but how I could achieve it and manipulate it with my DSLR camera settings. So I thought I’d share it with my readers, hoping it might be as helpful to you guys too!
What mode do you shoot on your DSLR to manage the aperture, shutter speed and ISO? How does it help you capture the right exposure on your photos? Comment back to help our readers!
If you like this post and thought it was helpful, please be sure to subscribe to my blog using the form at the bottom of this page. Keep snapping, and remember to Feel, Capture & Share™