Photography lesson: Exposure

Ever taken a photo and wondered why the photograph turned out too dark or too light? Many people are completely unaware of the settings on their camera and keep everything set to auto when the quality of the photo could be better if they changed just two things. Here's what i learned at tafe about it.

Shutter speed is the length of time in which the lens of a camera is open for while a photo is taken. It co – insides with the aperture which is how wide the lens is open for the shot. One cannot be changed without the other being changed or the photo will be either over or under exposed (too light or dark) loosing detail in the photo.

If the shutter speed is set to a slow speed, (such as 1/4 ) the lens will be open for a longer period of time letting more light into the picture so to avoid it being over exposed (too bright) the aperture needs to be a high number (such as f/16) so that the width of the lens is narrow and should balance out the amount of light getting into the photo. This type of setting is usually good for night time or indoor scenery (generally dark scenery).

If the shutter speed is set to fast, (such as 1/15000) then the camera lens will be open for a very brief period of time and will let very little light in. In order to balance this the aperture needs to be wide/low such as (f/2.7). This type of setting is suited to bright outdoor scenery.

In conclusion:

• · for dark scenery - the slower the shutter the higher the aperture number (best taken with a tripod to avoid shaky hands)

• · for bright scenery – the faster the shutter and the lower the aperture number

(for aperture: The higher the number the narrower the lens, the lower the number the wider the lens)

Reference: 
http://silverstrandphoto.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/tuesday%E2%80%99s-tips-tricks-shutter-aperture-together/
http://petphotography.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/shutter-aperture/