We need to understand how to set the exposure properly to get a good image from our camera. There are many budding photographers who rely on auto mode on their cameras to take pictures. Auto mode is indeed the easiest option that we have. But sometimes the auto mode can not deliver the results that we want.
If you just rely on auto mode only, then you will find that it's hard to get images that require more advanced shooting techniques. It will greatly hamper your creativity in developing your photographic skills.
This is why you need to learn to use your camera in manual mode. So you have more flexibility in adjusting the components of exposure in your camera. Each of these components affect different aspects of exposure on your camera. So to master the use of these components will give you greater control over your camera.
3 Exposure Components
Currently there are three major components that are used to set the exposure on your camera. These three components are Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.
 |
| aperture inside your camera lenses |
Aperture is a hole in your lens. You can set the width of the aperture openings to adjust the amount of light entering your camera. This hole serves as the iris of the human eye. If it is too large, it will make your image becomes too bright. And if it is too small, then your photograph will be darker than it should be. This aperture settings can affect the depth of field of the focus area in your photograph.
 |
| The effect of slow and fast shutter speed. |
Shutter speed is the speed of the window opening in front of the camera sensor. You can adjust the speed of this opening. The shorter the time of its opening, the less light that enters your camera; and vice versa. A very high shutter speed can make a fan that is spinning so fast looks like motionless in the photograph.
ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor of your camera to the light that goes into it. If you've set the aperture and shutter speed of your camera and the picture is still too dark, then ISO is the last setting you do to brighten the image that is captured by the camera. ISO become the last setting you do, because increasing the sensitivity of your camera sensor can lead to the increase of noise in your photos. So we will always try to use the lowest ISO that is sufficient to get the exposure we want.
To get a better understanding, you can see the illustration below.
You can also click on the three links below to enrich your understanding about the exposure on the camera.
- Understanding The Depth Of Field
- Understanding Shutter Speed Use
- What Is Noise In Digital Photograph
