Exposure Triangle for Beginner Photographers

The exposure triangle is a fundamental concept in photography, consisting of three key elements that work together in your camera to create optimum photo exposure.

The three key elements are:

Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO

When you shoot in automatic mode, the camera controls the exposure, but you can either partially or entirely control the exposure when using a non-auto camera mode.

Exposure is the amount of light that hits the camera’s sensor or film. In simpler terms, it’s about how light or dark your photos look.

Exposure is the amount of light falling per unit area on the sensor.

In each example below, the outcome results from the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO working together as the exposure triangle in photography.

Storm clouds at sunset, a darker exposure.

the morning glow of sunrise is an exposure example in photography — The morning glow of sunrise creates a different exposure in comparison.

A beaver on its lodge in bright cloud with no shadows — Bright cloud cover produces a more evenly lit exposure without shadows and bright highlights.

The Aperture and the Exposure Triangle.

The Aperture, also known as the f-stop, controls the amount of light entering the lens. A diaphragm component consisting of overlapping blades controls the aperture.

The characteristics of the diaphragm and the blade design will vary depending on the type of lens and its quality but look similar to the visual example below.

As the photographer, you can adjust the aperture manually to different f-stops in the aperture priority camera setting and the manual mode camera setting.

Example of a lens diaphragm overlapping blades — A visual example of a lens diaphragm overlapping blades and corresponding f-stops, or aperture.

The smaller the f-number, or f-stop, the greater the amount of light admitted through the lens. This is helpful for low-light conditions or creative uses such as blurring the background, which is a shallow depth of field, or bokeh.
Depth of field refers to how much of your photo is intentionally focused from the front to the back.

The more significant the f-number, the less light is admitted, which is optimum for keeping everything in focus, such as what you see on a postcard or in landscape photography.

The Shutter Speed and the Exposure Triangle.

Shutter speed controls the time the camera’s sensor is exposed to the amount of light. In other words, the time it takes your camera to capture your scene or subject.

Here are examples of shutter speeds and how your camera may display them. These times are all fractions of a second, even when not displayed as such, as with the top row.

A fast shutter speed, such as 1/1000 of a second, freezes motion when capturing action such as sports, birds in flight, fast-moving children, and pets.

A slow shutter speed, such as 1/30 of a second, lets in light for a longer time. Using a slower speed produces creative motion blur for flowing water or light trails, compared to freezing the action in crisp detail with no intentional blur.
If you see a shutter speed accompanied by a “ symbol, like inches or a quotation, your shutter speed is displayed in seconds. Four seconds would look like this 4,” for example.
As the photographer, you can adjust the shutter speed manually in the shutter speed priority camera setting and the manual mode camera setting.

The ISO and the Exposure Triangle.

ISO controls the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. Very simply put, it’s a bit like having a flashlight or torch for your camera when and if you need one, as the camera’s sensor reacts according to the ISO value, when you increase the sensitivity.

A light beam as a visual for ISO — In a non-technical sense ISO is like having extra light when you need it for a correct exposure.

ISO values are displayed numerically and may be revealed as 100, 200, 400, 1600, or 3200, for example, and helpful in the following situations:

A low ISO, such as 100 or 200, is often used in bright conditions when a high ISO is not necessary to obtain the correct exposure.

A high ISO, such as 1600, 3200, and higher, amplifies the sensitivity and is helpful in low-light situations to allow for a faster shutter speed if necessary and to help capture a correct exposure.
Higher ISO settings can cause digital noise, resulting in your photos having a grainy, unflattering texture, and something to be aware of.

ISO in the Triangle Can be Confusing, and Here’s Why.

Exposure is the amount of light falling per unit area on the sensor. Technically, ISO isn't a component of exposure. It's simply amplifying the sensor values, and some photographers don’t consider it true according to the diagram depicting an exposure triangle, which can be misleading and confusing.

Why?

Following the idea behind the triangle, the omission of instructions that you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed, the photographer, can be misleading, as this doesn’t necessarily correspond to the usual chart.

Why not?

Depending on your desired exposure, you can change only the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, or a combination of two or all three to obtain the desired results. Therefore, if you were to take the chart literally as the only route to follow you could be way off target for the exposure you want to obtain.

How to avoid Overwhelm.

Regardless of opinions and charts, rest assured that either you or the camera can affect the outcome of your photography by changing the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO—one at a time or in combination—based on your scene or subject and the available light.

The Exposure Triangle Ultimate Goal

The primary purpose of introducing the exposure triangle to beginner photographers is to help you become aware of its three considered key components: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

The ultimate goal for you, the photographer, or the camera in the automatic setting is to:

Balance these three components to achieve the ideal exposure.
An ideal exposure is one where your photo is not too bright (overexposed) or too dark (underexposed).
Learn how to use the three settings and capture the shots you want - action, creatively, optimum exposure, and whatever you desire as the photographer.

By becoming aware of the exposure triangle, you will gain more control over your results for correct exposure, creative use, and capturing action.

However, if you’re getting started, you can familiarize yourself with the exposure triangle camera settings by:

Observe and become familiar with the three elements while using your camera in the automatic setting.

Additional support.

Making sense of the exposure triangle and your camera can be daunting, to say the least, and I experienced this feeling when I began my photography adventures.

Consequently, I created a self-paced online course for beginner photographers. I teach aspiring photographers how to use their cameras confidently and gain new-found photography skills in a fun way, including aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

If this sounds like a fit for you or for more information and details, please click: https://angiepattersonphotography.com/course-better-photos1