Aperture, ISO, Shutter Speed Notes

Fundamentals of Photography

The Trinity of Photography

Aperture is an opening

The bigger the F number the smaller the opening.

The smaller the F number the bigger the opening.

The bigger the opening the blurrier the background appears

The smaller the opening, the sharper the focus in the background.

Aperture controls the amount of Depth of Field.

A shutter is like a curtain.


To stop the motion of somebody walking, the minimum shutter speed is 1/150

To stop the motion of somebody running, the minimum shutter speed is 1/250

Shutter speed controls the amount of motion blur in a photo.



ISO

ISO is a setting for your camera's sensitivity to light.

ISO adjusts the sensor in the camera that detects an image.

Rule of Thumb: use a low ISO when there is a lot of light.


When shooting with fast shutter speed, you will have to increase ISO if photos come out too dark.

When shooting at night, you will have to increase ISO for the sensor to pick up more light.