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The secret to creating the perfect photograph
Master these 3 elements of photography.
Do you struggle when it comes to shooting with manual mode on your camera? Are your photos blurry or out of focus? Do you find it difficult to take photos at night?
Then mastering this one concept can help you create better photos today.
The exposure triangle
The exposure triangle makes up three key elements in photography. You can change each one of these variables with your camera to create a different effect on your photos. These three elements are:
- Aperture
- Shutter Speed
- ISO
Let’s break down each one a little further to understand how they affect your photos and help you achieve the result you want.
Aperture
Aperture, also known as an F-stop, is how large of an opening you let light through in your photo. A stop refers to doubling or halving the amount of light making up an exposure.
Adding a stop of light by doubling the exposure will brighten an image. Decreasing by one stop or halving the exposure will darken an image.
Here are a few examples of the f-stops you‘ll see on your camera:
- f/1.4
- f/2
- f/2.8
- f/4
- f/5.6
- f/8
- f/11
- f/16
- f/22
Here’s the confusing part. The smaller the f-stop number (think f/1.4), the larger the aperture. Seems kind of backward right? This illustration will help you make the connection.
The next time you’re wondering which aperture to use in any given lighting situation just think the opposite.
