Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO Made Simple

Photography Tips

Photography is all about light, and in the world of the camera that means exposure. For beginners, figuring out how to control exposure can seem a bit daunting, so much so that they often stay in auto mode and let the camera do all the work. But learning how exposure works is key to becoming a great photographer. Luckily, we have folks like Chris Nicholas of Becky and Chris to break it down in a truly understandable way:

Cameras come in many sizes and flavors these days. Some give you more control, and some less. But if you’re shooting with one that allows you to control its exposure, learning how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together will really up your game. In fact, the better you understand the exposure triangle, the more you can relax and be intuitive with your shots, rather than struggling to figure out how to get the look you want.

If, after watching this video, it still seems a little intimidating to jump full on into manual mode, no worries. Most cameras have an aperture priority mode that allows you to choose the aperture size and ISO and let the camera figure out the shutter speed. Or, if action photography or motion blur is your thing, you can try shutter priority mode and let the camera figure out the aperture. Either way will allow you to learn to control the a different aspect of exposure without having to go whole hog all at once.

But don’t let yourself get too comfortable there; learning to shoot in manual mode will really give you the greatest control. And, like anything, practice makes perfect. So get out there and shoot!