A Beginner’s Guide to Photography: ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture
While there’s no question that there are plenty of photographers out there, who’s to say that you can’t learn a thing or two about it also?
So, if you’re new to your DSLR, there are a few basic things you should learn to really get you started and feeling confident in your abilities to get everything you want to get out of your new camera.
DSLRs can be beyond confusing. But once you get out of automatic mode and get comfortable with manually adjusting these settings, you’ll be shooting amazing pictures in no time! Like the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The three things that, once mastered, become real game changers are: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed, otherwise known as the Exposure Triangle (Oooo so official). I suggest keeping your camera on and ready to experiment with each of these settings as you read this. Going practicing first hand is better than any article you read!
ISO:
Simply put, ISO refers to how sensitive your camera is to light. The higher number of ISO will make your camera MORE sensitive to light (brighter pictures) while a lower number ISO will make your camera less sensitive to light (darker pictures). Typically, you want to have a higher ISO is you are shooting indoors or if it’s later in the day if shooting outside. I wouldn’t go below 100 or 200 ISO If shooting outside during the day, and 800-1,3000 in darker-lit situations. Any more than that will result in your photos looking very oily and grainy.
Note: There are cameras out there these days that have become more capable and advanced in low-light situations with high ISO (around 25,600 ISO) without causing too much noise in the photos.
That being said, it is always best to rely on either natural light or an external flash to get the most out of your images. Whenever you shoot in low-light situations and as a result, crank us the ISO, you always risk having too much noise in your images. I like to rely on adjusting my shutter speed and aperture first before raising the ISO.
Try taking pictures as you adjust the ISO. Notice how brighter/noisier the pictures get as the ISO is raised.
As you can see in this image, it had gotten too dark to really get any good light from natural sources. Even the sparklers were barely enough to illuminate my subjects’ faces. I had to ramp up the ISO to make up for the lack of light.
Shutter Speed:
Shutter speed is the length of time your shutter stays open when a photo is being taken. If it is open for a longer length of time, the more opportunity for light to enter in through the lens. For example, if your shutter speed is set for a faster shutter speed like 1/1,000 (1 one-thousandth of a second) then your camera is letting in less light. Slower shutter speeds like 1/250 will allow more light.
Shutter speed can make a very big difference in the sharpness of your images. The faster the shutter speed, the more in-focus the picture. However, the picture will also let in less light. In lower light situations, this isn’t very ideal. Again, I would suggest setting up an external light source or flash to make up for the lack of natural light.
If you don’t have an external light source, then you will have to lengthen the shutter speed to let more light in. It’s more likely that the images won’t come out clear. That is, unless, you use a tripod and your subjects are able to stay very still. I don’t want to sound like it’s impossible to get good pictures in low-light—on the contrary, some of my greatest pictures have been taken with slow shutter speeds, it just takes a little more care and calculation.
Shutter Speed allowed me to capture my subject running. With a low aperture and fast shutter speed (1/1600) I was able to avoid blur as my subject moved quickly.
Aperture:
Okay, there’s a reason why I left this one last—it’s favorite to talk about! What to know why? It’s how photographers get that yummy blurry, soft background (known as bokeh, pronounced BOW-kah). You may not ALWAYS want a blurry background; for instance, if you’re shooting landscape photography, you will want everything in focus. For portraits, however, the bokeh allows the subject to more prominently stand out.
So, what does aperture mean, anyway? Aperture refers to the hole through which the light is let into your camera lens. Now, I can sense your confusion. You’re probably wondering “I thought ISO is what determined your camera’s sensitivity to light?” You’re right, but aperture is different. Think of it in terms of how the human eye functions. The wider an eye is open, the more light is able to enter. If you squint your eyes, then a less amount of light is allowed in.
Another important thing to remember is that the wider to hole (say, f/1.4) the blurrier the background will be. The wider the hole (f/22 for example) the more in focus the entire picture will be. I know, it seems a little counter-intuitive that the smaller number will make the hole bigger, but that’s just how it is.
Quick note about aperture: if you’re shooting group photos, I wouldn’t go below f/4. Any lower than that will risk some people being out of fussy in the pictures.
A wide aperture creates a nice blurry background. I was also. able to get closer to my subject and get some nice detail.
Conclusion:
You’re always going to be playing a give-and-take game with these three “pillars” of photography. As you lower the shutter speed, you’ll want to have a smaller aperture (or adjust the ISO if you don’t want to change the aperture). Or, If you have a larger aperture for a nice portrait image, then your shutter speed should be a little higher (1/300-1/1600 or so).
How are you feeling? I know, it’s kind of a lot of information to take in, but once you get over the learning curve you’ll be smooth sailing! Just keep playing around with it and experimenting with lighting and different subjects.
I would love to know if you have any questions! Let me know if you need any further explanation—I will do my best to answer any questions!
Hope you all have a great day. Happy photo-ing!
