Pixiq

If you’re like most photographers you’ve probably asked yourself, at one point or another; “What difference does it make which combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO I use as long as the camera, or light meter, says it’s the correct exposure?”

Technically…it doesn’t matter.

Technically…it’s the “correct” exposure.

But I don’t want you to become a completely “technical” photographer.  Even if we, here at Your Photo Tips, do talk often about the technicalities of photography.  These are tools for you to learn and to use at your disposal.

I want you to become a technically proficient but creative photographer.  That’s how you get those “Wow!” pictures that get people raving about your work.

Most photographic opportunities you’ll find yourself in will allow you a very large freedom of “technically correct exposure” equations to use.

You may find that after you’ve locked in your ISO at 100 and set your aperture to f/4 that the camera is setting the shutter speed at 1/500 of a second.  Many times this exposure equation may be just fine.  But I want you to consider trying something next time your out shooting.  Try setting your camera to a “technically correct” exposure and shoot.  Then take a few seconds or minutes to adjust some of the elements for creativity.  Perhaps it’s a matter of moving that aperture to f5.6 and adjusting your shutter speed to 1/125 of a second.  This will allow you to get more of the scene in focus.  This would be ideal in a smaller group portrait setting with 2-3 people closely grouped together while still blurring out as much of the background as possible.  It will help ensure that everyone is in focus.

Perhaps you’re shooting a scene that’s action filled and you want to stop the action.  Maybe you need to reset that ISO to 200.  You’re stopping action and set in a shutter speed of 1/1600 of a second and you’re camera is calling for an aperture of f3.5.  It’s how you get great action shots like this motorcycle spewing dirt all over the place!

Or perhaps you’re shooting moving water.  Why not try an aperture of f/29?  In keeping that whole scene in front of you in focus and still using ISO 200 you’ll need to adjust that shutter speed to 5 of a seconds.  This will provide those silky water fall effects.

In practicing various exposure equations you’ll find that most scenes will have 6 or more technically correct exposure settings.  It’s this same practicing of continuously messing with your settings that you’ll begin to understand that any given scene also has a small handful of creatively correct exposure equations.  It’s up to you to use the tools of the camera to find that perfect creative exposure.

Photographs:

Honda in the dust by CONNORMATT

Gorge Waterfall by Scottwdw of Views Infinitum