Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO
Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are the three settings that allow a photographer to control the exposure of a photograph. Adjusting each of these settings change different aspects of how a photograph will turn out.
Aperture
Aperture refers to the opening of the lens, which effects the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor. The wider the aperture, the more light is let into the sensor, which in turn lightens the photograph. The narrower the aperture, the less light is let into the sensor, which in turn darkens the photograph.
Learn more about aperture at: https://photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed determines the amount of time the camera’s sensor is exposed to light. Faster shutter speeds allow less light into the sensor, which darkens the photograph. Shorter shutter speeds allow more light into the sensor, which lightens the photograph. Shutter speed also affects the amount of motion blur there is in a photograph. Faster shutter speeds tend to freeze what is in the photograph, while slower shutter speeds pick up a lot of motion blur.
Learn more about shutter speed at: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/shutter-speed.html
ISO
ISO is the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor. Adjusting the ISO affects the amount of grain or noise that appears in your photograph while adjusting the lightness of the photo. Low ISO results in a darker photograph with a low amount of noise. High ISO results in a lighter photograph with a high amount of noise. Using a high ISO allows a photographer to take photographs in low light settings or at night.
Learn more about ISO at: https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography
Depth of Field
The depth of field of a photograph is primarily affected by the camera’s aperture setting. Wider apertures allow for a shallower depth of field, which means less of the foreground and background are in focus. Narrower apertures allow for a larger depth of field, which means more of the foreground and background are in focus.
Learn more about depth of field at: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-about-depth-of-field-in-photography
Dynamic Range
Dynamic range is the contrast ratio between the brightest and darkest parts of a photograph. To simplify the definition for it, you could describe it as comparing how bright your brightest whites are with how dark your darkest blacks are. High dynamic range photographs are one of the hardest things to capture, as even the best cameras are only able to capture about half of the range that the human eye can.
Learn more about dynamic range at: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/discover/dynamic-range.html#:~:text=Dynamic%20range%20describes%20the%20ratio,range%20as%20the%20human%20eye.
