The Aperture

 Controls the exposure and the depth of field (sharpness of objects in front of and behind the
focused subject)
 It is measured in f stops
o The larger the number under the f, the smaller the hole (aperture) and the less light that
comes in. You get a larger depth of field so all of your subjects in front of and behind are
sharp and in focus
o The smaller the number the bigger the opening
 The depth of field is very shallow (i.e objects in the background are out of focus)
 The wider the lens opens the more light is let in and the more blurry the
background and foreground of your image

Exposure Control
 There are 2 devices to control exposure
o The shutter

Controls the amount of light that enters the lens

Shutter speed is the time it takes for the shutter to open and close

The slower the shutter speed the more movement the camera will capture
(blurred movements) (ie. 1/60)

The faster the speed the clearer the shot (1/1000)

The closer to an object you are the faster you want the shutter speed in order to
capture it/not miss it
o The aperture

Controls how much light enters the lens
 Examples
o Take the ISO of your shutter speed (100 ISO = 1/25 th of a second, or if the ISO is 400 then
the shutter speed would be 1/500), your aperture setting is:

Bright sunny days and sun is on the subject (f16)

For overcast, cloudy days (f8)

Sunsets and sunrises, low light, wide open @ 1/30th

ISO Camera Settings

 The lower the ISO, the less light comes in and the deeper the colour saturation
 The higher the ISO, the more light comes in and the more grain will appear in the photo
 Shooting in broad daylight, use an ISO between 100-200
 In a dark house with no flash turn up ISO that allows enough light in and to use a fast enough
shutter speed (high ISO)
 To eliminate flashy look of indoor photos, turn the flash off, lower the aperture and raise the ISO
 In aperture priority mode the camera will choose a slower shutter speed to compensate for lack
of light

Composition and Photography

 The Rule of Thirds
o Divide the view-finder into thirds vertically and horizontally. The four intersecting points
are where you want to place subject matter of interest
o Placing the most important aspect of the image on one of the intersecting points makes
the image more appealing to the human eye
  The “S” curve
o Will help you lead the viewer’s eye towards objects you wish to emphasize
 Symmetry
o The exact correspondence of form on the opposite sides of a dividing line
o Try incorporating anything that is symmetrical in your images and the quality of your
compositions will go up.
o Patterns also lend a degree of interest to your images, especially if broken
 Negative Space
o It’s all about leaving space and lots of it, in the image to ensure that the main subject
occupies a small portion of it
 The Horizontal Line
o Should be either 2/3rds the way down or up depending on whether the sky is more
interesting or the foreground

Shooting a Sunset
 You must open up at least 2-3 stops in order to get proper exposure on the clouds and water
where the light, that gets to the film, is a lot weaker
 The final minute of a sunset is the most critical
 A slower the shutter speed will be ideal for creating a mist like effect of the surf rolling in
 Generally, you will need a small aperture, creating a vase depth of field

Shooting Landscapes
 Use an aperture of f/8 or higher for everything to be in focus
 Use an aperture of f/11 or above when shooting sun or lights directly

Shooting at Night
 Keep a low ISO setting (50 or 100)
 Use a tripod
 Turn on Log Exposure Noise Reduction