Digital Rev Article

Just stumbled across an awesome Digital Rev article by Ken Cheung, on the three basic elements of photography; ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.

http://www.digitalrev.com/article/understanding-the-three-basic-elements/NDI4NzI5MzY_A

"Depending on which way you look at it, it can be argued that photography has either not changed at all since its inception, or has changed more than a Chinese whisper shared between the cast of Glee."

I have recorded some really good ideas from this article, as well as some information that I did not know before reading! 

Exposure

Exposure is the basic element of any photography taken and recorded. Essentially, exposure is how much light the shot was exposed to. Without light, there is no picture! Exposure is determined by three essential elements; Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed which all work together on a camera.

Aperture

Aperture is the setting which controls the size of the opening of light which comes through to the lens. Normally, this is controlled by the aperture blades which can be controlled by the photographer. The smaller the aperture, the less light is let through, visa versa.

Aperture is measured in f-stops, for example f/2.8 etc. The smaller the f-stop number, the larger the opening, therefore more light is let in. This is why sharper lenses with lower f-stops (e.g. f/1.4) are normally more expensive than a similar lens which cannot match the same aperture. The important thing I have learnt to remember from reading this article is that for every one stop the aperture is stepped down, the light being let in is doubled!

Shutter Speed

Shutter Speed is something I am familiar with because of my previous photography experience. The number of the shutter speed e.g. 1/1000, relates to the time the shutter is left open in seconds, so 1/1000 would be a thousandth of a second. Using shutter speed can either capture a subject blurred or sharp when moving.

ISO

ISO is something I have always been confused about, and all I knew was that a higher ISO meant more grain! ISO is measured on my 60D from 100, 200, 400 etc. A lower number means less grain.

Increasing the ISO would be typical in a low light situation such as gig location or nightlife. I have used a really high ISO for photographing bands before.