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Exposure Basics

3 COMPONENTS OF EXPOSURE

1 – Shutter Speed

  • Standard whole shutter speeds are
    • 1 sec  1/2  1/4  1/8  1/15  1/30  1/60  1/125  1/250  1/500  1/1000  1/2000  1/4000 etc.
    • More exposure (light)                                            Less Exposure
    • More motion blur                                                  More frozen movement

2 – Aperture or F-Stops

  • Standard whole f-stops or apertures
    • 1.4       2.0       2.8       4          5.6       8          11        16        22        32        45
    • Opening up – More exposure                   Closing or stopping down – Less exposure
    • Less Depth of Field (DOF)                          More Depth of Field

3 – ISO (ASA, Film Speed, Sensitivity of Sensor)

  • Standard ISO numbers
    • 50        64        100      200      400      800      1600    3200    6400    12800 
    • Less sensitive to light                                 More sensitive to light
    • Need more light or flash                            Can shoot in darker situations
    • Smoother tones and better color              Noisy pixels and muted color

Bracketing

  • 30 @ f8 will let in twice the light of 60 @ f8 and 60 @f8 will cut the light in half from 30 @ f8
    • Moving from 30 @ f8 to 60 @ f8 is called a -1 bracket (half the exposure)
    • Moving from 60 @ f8 to 30 @ f8 is called a +1 bracket (twice the exposure)
  • 125 @ f11 will let in twice the light of 125 @ f16 and 125 @ f16 will halve the light from 125 @ f11
    • Moving from 125 @ f11 to 125 @ f16 is called a -1 bracket (half the exposure)
    • Moving from 125 @ f16 to 125 @ f11 is called a +1 bracket (twice the exposure)

Equivalent Exposure

  • Your meter gives you 125 @ f11 but you want a more shallow depth of field
    • You move your aperture to f4 which is 3 stops more exposure
    • You have to cut down on exposure by moving your shutter speed 3 stops faster
    • Your new exposure is 1000 @ f4
    • 1000 @ f4 is the same exposure as 125 @ f11 but now you have more shallow DOF and you also have the ability to freeze more motion

ISO Changes

  • It is always best to shoot at the lowest hardware ISO setting of your camera for quality
  • If you are in a low-light situation and need a faster shutter speed or a smaller aperture then you should increase your ISO, but experiment ahead of time so you know the top ISO that limits noise