PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSED
by John Peters A.R.P.S.
LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY
Modern day sensors in cameras or smartphones are pretty good at limiting noise and with many cameras / lenses having IBIS (in-body image stabalisation) or some form of image stabilisation, we will set:
ISO at 800 (UK)
Now set the camera or phone to AUTO mode and 9 times out of 10, a good photo will result.
BRACKETING
The secret is to bracket your shots. Bracketing is best operated in one of the other exposure modes.
For high contrast scenes I recomend -2, 0, and +2 exposure adjustments. For fairly low contrast scenes, -1, 0, and +1 exposure adjustments. If you are to learn a few things on exposure, learn how to 'bracket' exposures, you need not learn much else. This way, by bracketing, you are 'hedging your bet', covering your options, ensuring at least one of your photographs is OK, as far as exposure is concerned.
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THE IMPORTANT BIT (IN DETAIL) :
HOW TO SET THE CAMERA TO AUTOMATICALLY SELECT THE APERTURE
First set your ISO to a higher than normal setting - say 2 or 3 stops or clicks higher than the recommended setting (UK try 600 for ISO instead of 100, elsewhere if brighter, try 200 for ISO). You may have to adjust this ISO setting for brighter or duller conditions, but you are basically setting your ISO higher than you would normally, others may suggest an ISO OF 100.
Now set your camera and/or lens to 'S' or 'Tv' on it which has the same effect as 'S', thus setting it to shutter-speed mode selecting a shutter speed of say 125, that's 1/125 of a second and the theory is that with that ISO and shutter speed combination, the camera will set an aperture for a reasonably correct exposure (covering us for using wide-angled, standard and up to 135mm tele lenses or bigger.
Using simple rules covered elsewhere in this document, we have let the camera decide on an aperture providing a hand-held, shake-free photograph. See LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY for a more detailed explanation on aperture and exposur.
Next, we can procede having set two of the three critical settings for a reasonable exposure. You have just set shutter priority mode so that the camera will decide on which aperture to use so that it will be balanced for a rea
sonably correct exposure free of camera shake thanks to a fairly high shutter-speed and Image Stabalisation / IBIS. If you are not sure how to set this or you are still a bit in the dark, please read your equipments user manual again. Remember, it costs nothing to experiment with the digital process.
TOP TIP Read your user manual to become sufficiently familiar with your equipment in order to be able to operate the main camera/lens functions without removing the camera from your eye. Why, the lighting or conditions may change in a fraction of a second and you don't want to miss the peak moment whilst fumbling with your gear. Bear in mind that someone, or a group of people that know your equipment inside-out, they have probably taken weeks to compile your user manual which is probably full of juicy information. Boring I know but familiarity with your equipment could become important to you further down the line.
A camera set to 'Av' or aperture priority mode, your's may be similar or just show an 'A'.
On the dial, you can also see 'M' for manual mode and 'Tv' which is used in this example for Shutter Speed mode.
Some cameras may use 'S' instead of 'Tv' (time value) but they are the same thing, they both indicate shutter speed mode.
No, not a top tip but very important so highlighted in green. Aperture is also used to control what is called Depth Of Field (DOF), but DOF will be covered as part of COMPOSITION where controlling the DOF becomes one of the most important factors of composition.
This is where I tend to differ in my teaching of photography from others who teach aperture / DOF as part of exposure. For a beginner, I think it's a lot to digest early on whereas covered later under composition, a beginner can take and expose photographs early on without worrying too much about the aperture and the DOF.
SHUTTER PRIORITY MODE AND (PSEUDO SHUTTER PRIORITY MODE)
BEGINNERS / KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE
Lets keep things as simple as possible for now, because we will be letting the camera's fancy electronics work out and set the aperture whilst we give priority to the shutter speed.
Smartphones will be covered under SMARTPHONES and by their design, aperture and DOF behave a little differently from that of a normal DSLR and lens or a compact camera come to that, depth of field appears greater, and selected shutter speeds appear higher when compared to a DSLR.
With an effort to try and keep things simple, first, we must consider how a shutter works in a camera, smartphone. If we simply regard it as a blind that by sweeping across or opening and closing in front of the sensor at different speeds that you select in shutter-speed mode, you effectively control the duration or amount of time for which the light reaches the sensor. That's a sufficient enough explanation for the time being.
The shutter will open/close as per your setting. Given that we tend to get too technical, we should take into account that:
Modern day sensors are pretty good at limiting noise and with many modern cameras / lenses having IBIS or some form of image stabilisation, we will set:
ISO at 600 (UK)
Set the Shutter Speed at 125 or 1/125 sec. You may have to adjust the ISO for extremely bright (set a lower ISO) or extremely dull (set a higher ISO) conditions.
Now, try a test photograph and look at your vewing screen, remember in digital it costs nothing.
THE IMPORTANT BIT (IN DETAIL) :
HOW TO SET THE CAMERA TO AUTOMATICALLY SELECT THE APERTURE
Set the camera / lens to 'S' or Tv to make the camera / lens operate in shutter-speed priority mode and effectively calculate what aperture to use for the exposure, whilst giving priority to the shutter-speed.
First set your ISO to a higher than normal setting - say 2 or 3 stops or clicks higher than the recommended setting (UK try 600 for ISO instead of 100, elsewhere if brighter, try 200 for ISO). You may have to adjust this ISO setting for brighter or duller conditions, but you are basically setting your ISO higher than you would normally, others may suggest an ISO OF 100.
Now set your camera and/or lens to 'S' or 'Tv' on it which has the same effect as 'S', thus setting it to shutter-speed mode selecting a shutter speed of say 125, that's 1/125 of a second and the theory is that with that ISO and shutter speed combination, the camera will set an aperture for a reasonably correct exposure (covering us for using wide-angled, standard and up to 135mm tele lenses or bigger.
Using simple rules covered elsewhere in this document, we have let the camera decide on an aperture providing a hand-held, shake-free photograph. See LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY for a more detailed explanation on aperture and exposure.
Next, we can procede having set two of the three critical settings for a reasonable exposure. You have just set shutter priority mode so that the camera will decide on which aperture to use so that it will be balanced for a rea
sonably correct exposure free of camera shake thanks to a fairly high shutter-speed and Image Stabalisation / IBIS. If you are not sure how to set this or you are still a bit in the dark, please read your equipments user manual again. Remember, it costs nothing to experiment with the digital process.
TOP TIP Read your user manual to become sufficiently familiar with your equipment in order to be able to operate the main camera/lens functions without removing the camera from your eye. Why, the lighting or conditions may change in a fraction of a second and you don't want to miss the peak moment whilst fumbling with your gear. Bear in mind that someone, or a group of people that know your equipment inside-out, they have probably taken weeks to compile your user manual which is probably full of juicy information. Boring I know but familiarity with your equipment could become important to you further down the line.
A camera set to 'Av' or aperture priority mode, your's may be similar or just show an 'A'.
On the dial, you can also see 'M' for manual mode and 'Tv' which is used in this example for Shutter Speed mode.
Some cameras may use 'S' instead of 'Tv' (time value) but they are the same thing, they both indicate shutter speed mode.
No, not a top tip but very important so highlighted in green. Aperture is also used to control what is called Depth Of Field (DOF), but DOF will be covered as part of COMPOSITION where controlling the DOF becomes one of the most important factors of composition.
This is where I tend to differ in my teaching of photography from others who teach aperture / DOF as part of exposure. For a beginner, I think it's a lot to digest early on whereas covered later under composition, a beginner can take and expose photographs early on without worrying too much about the aperture and the DOF.
TOP TIP He
At every angle.
No not