Exposure;

A Love Triangle

What Is Exposure? A Camera’s Exposure is what establishes

how bright or dark an image appears when captured. Exposure is determined by three camera settings; Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed, as well as the natural light available.

(which unfortunately won’t bend to your will).

Who Cares?Ensure your images are not

Overexposed or Underexposed.Overexposure is when the information

in the highlights of your photos is basically unreadable.

Likewise, Underexposure is when the shadows

are unreadable. UnderexposedOverexposed

The Exposure Triangle

ISO

Shutter SpeedAperture

ApertureA lens’ aperture is the variable opening

which allows light to pass through to the sensor; this is measured by f-stop values. The f-number or f-stop is the lens’ focal length divided by the size of the aperture opening, it is a ratio.

Useful Because? Large f-stop at f/16, and a small aperture (or the lens’ opening), we achieve a large, deep Depth of Field, seen on the right. This is perfect for•Landscape Photography•Cityscapes•Urban• Aerial/ Drone Photography and anything other time when you want as much of the scene in focus as possible.

At a relatively small f-stop, we get a shallow or small Depth of Field. Ideal when you want to isolate a subject ie. •Portrait•Wildlife•Street PhotographyAllowing a sharp, in-

focus subject and a blurry background.

Shutter SpeedThe Shutter Speed determines the

speed at which a lens’ shutters, or ‘curtains’, open and close. In other words, the duration the sensor is exposed to light for. This is measured in seconds, usually fractions of.

Useful Because? With a mastery of shutter speed you can effectively freeze a moment in time, capturing a helicopter rotor, a ferris wheel, a bird mid-flight at tiny fractions of a second. Or you can smooth out waterfalls and beaches; turn a busy motor way into streaks of red and yellow light and more, through the use of Motion Blur.

Motion Blur is the capture of swiftly moving objects in a single exposure, due to rapid movement or a long shutter speed. Visible here.

ISOA camera’s ISO setting determines its

sensor’s ‘sensitivity’ to light. Alongside a lower number, the sensor becomes less sensitive and the final image has a finer grain. Each ISO higher or lower, represents doubling or halving the sensor’s sensitivity respectively.

Useful Because?

Therefore, when shooting during the day or with a tripod it is a good idea to keep your camera’s iso setting on the lowest base ISO, usually 50/100 in order to reduce the noise in a photo and achieve the maximum quality shots.

At ISO 12800 a great deal of noise is

present, rendering this image

unusable. While ISO 640 is less noticeable,

there is an unfavourable amount, especially if it was to

be printed or enlarged.

Most Important! The Most Important thing is to get

out and experiment! Practical application of this knowledge is the most important! And it’s also a lot more fun!

Sam HicksCo-Founder Cycle

Photographysamueljhicks15@gmail.com