Photography, like most forms of art and science has rules. The rules are meant to be your guideposts to creating an aesthetically pleasing image. The rules of composition have been around since long before photography was invented; their origin goes way back to the old masters who first put brush to canvas. We have become “genetically engineered” to expect these rules in our art. However, art being what it always has been, sometimes it’s exciting and daring to break the rules.
Category Archives: Fundamentals
Making the Exposure Triangle Work for you
The Exposure Triangle consists of Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO Speed. These topics represent the three variables that create the perfect exposure. These three pieces of the Triangle work together, balancing and compensate for each other. If your camera is in an Auto setting, as one changes, the other two react to keep everything in balance. If you are shooting in manual, you will need to consider the effect changing one of these three settings will have on the other two. Sound complicated? Not really, once you understand how they work together.
ISO Speed
ISO Speed was, in the “olden days”, the sensitivity to light of the roll of film you loaded in the camera. Each roll of film had an ISO Speed. The higher the speed, the more sensitive to light the roll of film was. A low speed of 100 was great for bright daylight. 200 was a good general purpose speed for most uses. As you went up in the ISO Speed range, 400 was the typical black and white speed for general use. A Speed of 800 was used for low light conditions.
Aperture Part 2 -How it Effects the Photograph
Aperture does more than just allow a lot, or a little light to enter the lens. Aperture controls Depth of Field. By using depth of field appropriately, you can create the artful images you desire.
Depth of field is the amount of the picture that is in focus.
Continue reading Aperture Part 2 -How it Effects the Photograph
Aperture Part 1: How Aperture Works
Our last technical discussion was about shutter speed to control the freezing of motion or showing the blur of motion. This one will be about aperture. Part 1 will discuss how it works.
Shutter Speed -Part 2
Part 2 -Showing Motion
In Shutter Speed Part 2 will concentrate on how the camera utilizes shutter speed speeds to get the picture you want.
Part 1 demonstrated the effects of a fast vs slow shutter speed.
Continue reading Shutter Speed -Part 2
Understanding Shutter Speed Part 1
The difference Between Fast and Slow Shutter Speed
This post will be a Two Part Post, learning how to understand what effect shutter speed has on your picture.
Part 1 will demonstrate the difference between using a fast shutter speed to “freeze” motion, and a slow shutter speed to show motion.
Part 2 will be a more technical discussion on how to use shutter speeds in the camera and understanding how use the camera’s controls to adjust shutter speed.
Continue reading Understanding Shutter Speed Part 1
Hold that Camera Steady!
Learning the importance of holding the camera is critical. So far my posts have been about some philosophy around photography. I also want this blog to be about techniques and learning about various ways to create the photographs you want. Therefore this post will start from the very beginning: Learning how to hold the camera steady.