Bode Miller by Sam Bassett

So let’s dive right in to our next step in creating that perfect photograph. When taking a photograph, in order to create a proper exposure, (exposure is the total amount of light you allow to contact the negative) you need to understand how to use the shutter speed and f-stop (or aperture) on your camera. If you have a point and shoot camera or have an SLR (single-lens reflex camera) set to automatic, these things are automatically taken care of for you. Even if your camera takes care of these settings automatically, it’s still a good idea to understand how it all works. Also if you have a film camera, you’ll be able to set both the shutter speed and f-stop to get a proper exposure and therefore create a more perfect negative. (A negative can be either color or black and white. A negative can be described as the image produced on a photographic emulsion by the product of exposure and development, in which tones are reversed so that highlights appear dark and shadows appear light).

First on our list is F-Stop: F-Stop = Aperture Setting
F-Stop= How much light exposure the digital or film camera is getting. The total aperture of the lens is called a range of f-stops. It’s a bit opposite of what you’d think… Wider open lens’ let in more light light and the F-Stop number is lower. F/2.8 lets in a lot more light than F/22.

This is an example of aperture settings. Notice f/2 and how the lens is wide open. This lets in more light!

Next on our list is Shutter Speed: Key Words: TIME, LIGHT, and EXPOSURE.
The shutter on a camera controls the amount of time that light is exposed to the film. The shutter keeps light out of the camera except during an exposure, when it opens to let light strike the image sensor. In respect to just exposure, faster shutter speeds lets less light strike the image sensor so the image is darker. Slower speeds let in more so it's lighter. Shutter: Controls amount of TIME that LIGHT is EXPOSED to FILM.

HELPFUL HINT OF THE DAY: When photographing your subject matter, shoot with what you think the aperture or f-stop should be and then also shoot one stop above, one stop below. This way you have three images to choose from and hopefully one out of those three will have the correct exposure. You want your image not to be too blown out. This means that you can still see a lot of the details in things such as trees or faces. If it’s too blown out, that means the negative was over-exposed or too much light was let in. Often the image will look really bright and not a lot of details in your subject matter will appear. If your image is over-exposed, then the aperture or f-stop needs to be higher such as F/16 or F/22. If your image is too dark, then the negative was under-exposed. In this case, more light needs to be let in. If you keep your shutter speed the same and open up your aperture and make your f-stop F/2.8 or F/5.6, that should do the trick. Try several different shots with different exposures until you are satisfied with your image.

This is an example of different depths of field. The top image has a high depth of field with the f-stop being f/16 or f/22. The bottom image has a lower f-stop of f/2, creating a low depth of field.

Last on our list is Depth of Field:
The smaller the opening (higher f-stop number) the greater the depth of field. Example: f/16 or f/22.
Depth of field is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp. The depth of field varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can influence our perception of it. Where do shutter speed and f-stop (aperture) come into play here? Shutter Speed and f-stop work together in order to create either a shallow depth of field where portions of the image is out of focus or a high depth of field where most or the entire image is in focus.
DEPTH OF FIELD: Gradual transition from sharp to un-sharp. Small Aperture=higher depth of field.
A wide open lens (low f-stop f/2.8) with a slow shutter speed (1/25th of a second) will let in a lot of light and have a long exposure. This might create overexposure. A higher f-stop of f/22, letting in less light, with a fast shutter speed (1/1000th of a second) will not let in very much light and have a fast exposure time. This might create underexposing. FACTS to REMEMBER F/2.8=WIDE OPEN LENS, MORE LIGHT LET IN. LESS Depth of Field (BLURS what you aren’t focused on). F/22= LENS MORE CLOSED, LET’S LESS LIGHT IN, HIGH Depth of Field. Everything in Focus. FAST SHUTTER SPEED = less time light is exposed. SLOW SHUTTER SPEED = more time light is exposed.

Which image of these dolls do you think has a higher depth of field? If you said the bottom image then you are correct!

If you own a point and shoot camera, I recommend at some point you borrow or buy either a film camera or SLR camera. This way you can get practice on setting the proper shutter speed and aperture. And it’s fun to play with the different settings and experiment! Knowing how to do all this also makes you more aware of what you are photographing. Your subject matter and how the light affects it becomes more apparent. This article covers a lot, a lot, a lot of information so I think instead of thinking you have to memorize it all, use it as a reference. When you get the chance to use a camera that lets you manually change these settings, look over this article again and mess around and shoot a ton! Trial and error my friends! It’s quite alright if you shoot 50 photos and only a few have the exposure you were looking for. Have fun, shoot often, and take that camera with you everywhere!

Step 3 covering f-stop, shutter speed, and depth of field, check! See you next month when we cover composition!

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY SHOOTING!

Point & Shoot Camera

SLR Camera

Photography Tips and Tricks Series
Part 1 - Subject Matter
Part 2 - Lighting
Part 3 - Technical Aspects
Part 4 - Composition
Part 5 - Editing
Part 6 - Enjoy and Share