Understanding the Exposure Triangle

exposure_triangleMost cameras normally come with exposure mode automatically set. This allows you to just go ahead with photography as your camera is already set to select settings for you. This helps especially when one is a beginner but as you progress in photography, you will desire to have some clear and crispy images which might not be possible to attain with the preset exposure modes. Moving on to semi automatic modes provides you with more room to explore and with proper practice you will be able to effectively master how you can set the exposure triangle effectively to be able to realize the desired images. Mastering the exposure means understanding the amount of light allowed to hit the sensor of the digital camera when you press the shutter button, which is very important.

Exposure triangle refers to the ISO, shutter speed and aperture and how they work in alignment to determine how light or dark an image will be. Creating a harmonious exposure takes more of insight and is majorly a balancing act. Ones you decide on an element it automatically affect the other. Changing the setting of the ISO, shutter speed or aperture will immediately affect the other two in a constant triangle. The type of shot you are taking is what determines what to change. Understanding how you can harmonize the performance of the exposure triangle is a lesson worth learning in order to avoid the camera generating effects that you might not like.

Each setting of the exposure triangle controls light differently. Every camera has a physical shutter that opens and closes. A camera shutter is what determines when the camera sensor will be opened or closed to incoming light from the camera lens with shutter speed defining how long the light is permitted to enter the camera. Aperture is that opening in the middle of the lens it’s the setting that controls the area where the light can pass through your camera lens. ISO is how sensitive the camera digital sensor is to light. It measures how speed controls the sensitivity of your cameras sensor to a specific amount of light. A lower ISO speed is mostly desirable for good harmony.

How much the camera’s sensor is exposed to light and how much light the lens lets in and its impact on the depth of field and ISO is quite an important aspect to understand. Once you master this aspect well, you will be able to use your camera and achieve maximum and satisfactory images. The look and feel of your pictures depends much on how you navigate the working of the exposure triangle. Aperture normally affects the depth of field or how sharp an image can be. Shutter speed also affects image sharpness with slower shutter speed giving blurred image. Using ISO enables the photographer to use the optimum combination of the aperture and shutter speed in regulating light. Since the settings of the three elements can be adjusted, modifying the settings to suit the desired image outlook will result into great images. This is a fact that can be done interchangeably depending on the type of photo effects one desires in an image.