The Basics of Photography

Composition, exposure, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, opening up, spotlighting, centre-weighted meter: you might be familiar with some of these terms but it’s not always obvious how to adjust your camera accordingly. I offer half-day and multi-days workshops to help you understand and practice the fundamentals of photography. Once you master the basics, you’ll be able to take manual control of your camera and get better results.

All my workshops are given in the field for a hands-on experience. Get in touch so we can arrange for a workshop.

Triangle of exposure

Three elements constitute the triangle of exposure: aperture, shutter speed and ISO:

• Aperture (f/N): light passing through the lens

• Shutter speed: how long the shutter stays open

• ISO: image sensor’s sensitivity to light

A small aperture (i.e. f/16) gives a deep depth of field and is usually used for landscape.

A fast shutter speed (i.e. 1/1000 sec) is used to freeze motion, like birds in flight or action shots. It also gives a shallow depth of field.

A slow shutter speed (i.e. 1/4 sec) is great for motion blur like milky water effect or rain streaks. Slow shutter speed is also used for night photography or poorly lit areas. In any case, a tripod is highly recommended for long exposures.

Before you adjust the aperture, shutter speed and ISO on your camera, you need to ask yourself: What effect do I wish to create? What is the mood of my image? What am I trying to tell?

Use the light meter in your camera to help you get the proper exposure. Light is measured in Exposure Value (EV) and typically displays in cameras from - 3 EV to + 3 EV

-3 _____ -2 _____ -1 _____ ∆ _____ 1 _____ 2 _____ 3

under exposed correct expo. over exposed

Once you’ve taken your shot, check the histogram and readjust your exposure if necessary.

Time to practice. Let me know how it goes!

f/13, ISO 200, 1/25 sec

f/5.6, ISO 800, 1/500 s

f/11, ISO 100, 1 sec

f/5.6, ISO 800, 1/800 s

f/9, ISO 800, 1/30 s