So you want to learn more about photography? That’s great! It’s a huge passion of mine, and one you can pursue for your entire life. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a fancy camera and lenses to take great photos, either (though you definitely can).
I often get people commenting on my photos, complementing me on my talent and going on about how they could never take photos the way I do.
…bullshit.
Like any art, good photography relies heavily on a few fundamental principles. Incorporating these fundamentals into your photography is a quick way to go from shooting photos that go into some backwater folder on your computer never to be seen again, to photos that make the highlight reel of your Instagram account.
Experienced photographers be warned: I’m starting with the very basics here!
Ok, here we go:
Master the Rule of Thirds
I told you this post is about the basics. The Rule of Thirds is a photography term that plays a massive role in how your shots turn out. It goes something like this: imagine that the view you see through your camera lens (or on its screen) is divided into a 3×3 grid, like this:
Essentially, you should aim to place whatever it is you’re trying to photograph so it lines up with at least one (ideally at the intersection of two) of these gridlines. Many cameras even have the ability to add this grid on the viewfinder to help you line up your shots.
The reason for this is that when you place the focal point on one of the dividing gridlines, you add visual interest to the photo. Take these two examples:
Which of these is more appealing to you? Most people would choose the one where the building is to the side of the image.
Why is that?
It depends on what you’re photographing. When shooting people, the rule of thirds is handy to make sure you aren’t cutting anyone’s head out of the shot, for example. When shooting objects, it’s a little more nuanced than that. I find that it’s usually about context; in other words, putting the focal point off to the side gives the viewer some insight into what’s going on in the surrounding environment. It often tells more of the story about why you chose to photograph that particular scenario.
Your homework: Go out and experiment with the rule of thirds. Try taking photos where your focal point is right in the middle of the shot, then trying moving it around so that it’s positioned off to the side, or lower/higher. You may just see your subjects in a whole new light!
Exposure can make or break a photo
If you’re reading this, chances are you currently do most of your photography in automatic mode – it’s usually the green setting on your camera’s dial. This option is fine in most everyday situations, but sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands. This is where understanding exposure comes in handy.
Exposure is just a fancy way of referring to the amount of light that gets through your camera’s lens. The more light gets through, the brighter the image you end up with as a result. There are three core ways to adjust how much light gets through the lens: aperture, shutter speed, and the ISO setting. Here’s a quick definition of each:
- Aperture: the size of the opening in the lens that lets light through. This is measured in units called f-stops – for example, f/16, f/8, f/5, f/1.8. The higher the number, the smaller the opening, which means that, all other things equal, an aperture setting of f/16 will let in less light than a setting of f/5. You can control this setting mainly in two modes on your camera: Manual mode, usually the “M” setting on your camera, and Aperture Priority mode, usually “Av” in the settings. In Aperture Priority mode, you pick the aperture size, and the camera automatically picks the shutter speed for you to get the right exposure.
- Shutter Speed: the speed at which the camera shutter opens and closes to let light through the aperture. It’s measured in seconds, and is usually displayed in fractions of a second (e.g. 1/200, 1/60, etc.). The smaller the number, the fast the shutter speed, and the less light enters the camera lens. Like the aperture, you can control shutter speed in two ways: Manual Mode and Shutter Priority mode, usually “Tv” on the menu. In Shutter Priority mode, you pick the shutter speed and the camera automatically picks the aperture size.
- ISO: in the days of film cameras, this term described the sensitivity of a roll of film to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive it was. This term still applies to digital photography – the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the camera is to light, and the brighter the picture you will end up with.
Your Homework: Play around with the Shutter Priority and Aperture priority modes to get a feel for how the various settings effect the exposure of your photo. You may also notice that they do other things too…
The other effects of aperture, shutter speed and ISO
So there you have it, three of the most common elements of exposure. The next question is, why are there three different ways to play around with light? Isn’t one enough?
Nope. And the reason is that all three of the settings affect your final photo in different ways.
The Role of the Aperture
Besides affecting the light levels of your photo, the aperture also plays a role in controlling depth of focus – the range of objects in your viewfinder that are in focus. The lower the aperture setting, the shallower the depth of focus. Take the below two photos as an example:
Notice how the background is much more blurry in the second photo? And this is just with an entry-level lens – other, more specialized lenses can make this difference even more pronounced. You can use this to capture the same shot in different ways!
The Role of Shutter Speed
Shutter speed controls the level of blur in your photos, in addition to light. The faster the shutter speed, the less light enters the camera… but it also has the effect of stopping moving objects dead in their tracks. Often this is exactly what you want (such as when shooting sports). Sometimes though, that blur can make for a better photo… and you achieve it by playing with the shutter speed. As you begin to slow the speed down past roughly 1/30 of a second, you’ll start to see evidence of blur in your photo. Ever wonder how photographers take those amazing surreal water shots? Yep, you guessed it – they manipulate shutter speed. Take the below two photos for example:
Two water shots, two very different results yet again. It all depends on what look you’d like to achieve in your photo. Heads-up though: the camera doesn’t distinguish between the things you want to blur and things you don’t want to blur… so be sure to use a tripod to keep the whole picture from being a fuzzy mess.
The role of ISO
ISO is a little different from aperture and shutter speed. Like I said before, it affects the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light; the higher the ISO number, the higher the sensitivity, and the brighter your images will be, all else equal. So why would you use a low ISO?
Great question. The main reason is that lower ISO settings give a more accurate representation of the light entering your camera’s lens. The higher up the settings you go, the more likely you are to encounter something called noise in your photos. Noise is a term used to describe grainy coloured dots that appear across your image. Usually, you want to avoid this at all costs, since it can really ruin that picture-perfect shot you were framing up! As a general rule of thumb, use the lowest ISO setting you can get away with while still getting the exposure right.
Your Homework: Experiment with aperture and the impact it has on depth-of-field – try taking photos with the aperture open wide (low f-number), with the subject of the photo some distance away from the background. Then try playing around with your shutter speed!
Wrapping it Up
There’s a lot more to photography than just the basics I described in this post, but by starting to experiment with these settings, you’ll be well on your way to taking more interesting photos. Remember: frame it up using the Rule of Thirds, and get creative with your exposure settings. Happy shooting!