Who doesn’t take pictures these days?
Of course, I don’t have exact figures, but I do know how hugely popular picture-taking has become. Out of all those people taking pictures, I would hazard a guess that a high proportion of them do not know much about the fundamental elements of taking ‘good’ pictures.
I am going to give you an overview of what you need to think about whilst composing your shots. Understanding something of these will allow you to take the pictures you want to take as you will be in control, not your camera.
APERTURE
This is the part of the camera that lets light in. It also has an effect on something known as ‘depth of field’. This translates into how much of your image is in focus.
Aperture is measured in f. numbers (stops). Just to confuse the novice a smaller f.number such as f 3.5 lets in more light than a large f.number such as f.22!
The smaller the number, the less depth of field. Here are some pictures to make it easier to understand.
Shot at f2.8, shallow depth of field
Shot at f8, medium depth of field
Shot at f22, deep depth of field
You can see how you can alter your image significantly by changing the aperture.
SHUTTER SPEED
The shutter speed dictates how long your shutter is open, which in turn results in the sharpness(or blurriness) of your final image.
Because this also dictates how much light is let in the camera, it can be used in combination with the aperture to give you more control of your final images.
The shutter speed changes the way movement appears in the picture. Shutter speeds can range from around 1/8000th second to an infinite amount of time.
Shot at 1/250th second
Shot at 1/30th second
Here you can see that the slower the shutter speed, the more blurry your subject. If you have your camera on a tripod you can keep any static subjects in sharp focus to emphasis the movement further.
ISO/ASA
This is a universal measurement and governs how ‘light sensitive’ your image sensor is. On film this was known as the speed of the film: the slower the film, the higher the quality of the final image.
Images taken with a high ISO often create a lot of noise or grain. Noise in a digital image reduces sharpness and clarity, so unless you want to create a grainy effect it is best to use the lowest ISO possible.
If there is a low-light situation such as in a church you will have to use a high ISO. This becomes part of the compromise of taking the pictures you desire.
Image noise
As you progress on your photographic journey you will need to combine all three elements to achieve great pictures. Good luck and happy snapping!
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