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Learn the Manual mode(Aparture, shutter speed, ISO)

Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are the three fundamental components of exposure in photography. Each affects the exposure of your photo and works together to achieve the desired result. Here’s a breakdown of each and their relationship:

1. Aperture

Definition: Aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens through which light passes. It is measured in f-stops (e.g., f/2.8, f/4, f/8).
Effect on Exposure: A larger aperture (e.g., f/1.2, f/2, f/2.8) allows more light to hit the sensor, making the image brighter. A smaller aperture (e.g.,f/14, f/16) lets in less light, making the image darker.
Effect on Depth of Field: A larger aperture results in a shallower depth of field (more background blur), while a smaller aperture gives a greater depth of field (more of the scene in focus).

Bokeh in Your Images

To achieve bokeh in an image, you need to use a fast prime lens, with faster apertures of f/2, f/1.8, f/1.4, or f/1.2 being ideal.

You’ll want to shoot with the lens wide open, so you’ll want to use a shooting mode of Aperture Priority or Manual. The manual gives you the ability to choose both your aperture and shutter speed, whereas Aperture Priority allows you to choose the f/stop while the camera chooses the appropriate shutter speed for the exposure. You could also use the Flexible Program mode, choosing the widest possible aperture/shutter speed combination.

if you don't own a prime lens, no need to worry. By increasing the distance between the background and your subject, you can see bokeh in images that are shot at smaller apertures like f/8.

You can do this by decreasing the distance between the camera and the subject. Highlights hitting the background will show more visible bokeh too, so if you’re using a backlight, side light, or a hair light, the bokeh may be more pleasing to the eye.

The most photographed subjects showing nice examples of bokeh are portraits. Close-up portraits show bokeh very well. Close-up and macro images of flowers and other objects in nature are also popular subjects to photograph that show off bokeh in the image. An often-photographed subject that is an extreme example of bokeh is photographing a grouping of holiday lights or other highly reflective objects. When purposely photographed out-of-focus, these normally harsh or bright objects become soft, pastel, diffused orbs of glowing light.

ISO 500, 85 mm f /1.4 1/100s ev1

In this picture, aperture is wide open to show the background bokeh effect.

Use a wide aperture when you want to separate the subject from the background or show only a small portion of the action in focus and a smaller aperture when you want both the foreground and background in focus.

Please remember for Portrait photography wide aperture blurs the background and can bring a bokeh effect to your photo.

More wider the aperture, the more light will come, so in daylight or highly lighted areas, you need to increase the shutter speed and lower the ISO. Otherwise, you need to use a variable ND filter to control the light.

2. Shutter Speed

Definition: Shutter speed is the length of time the camera's shutter remains open to allow light to reach the sensor. It's measured in seconds or fractions of a second (e.g., 1/1000, 1/125, 1/30).
Effect on Exposure: A faster shutter speed (e.g., 1/1000) allows less light to hit the sensor, resulting in a darker image. A slower shutter speed (e.g., 1/30) allows more light, resulting in a brighter image.
Effect on Motion: Faster shutter speeds freeze motion, while slower speeds can create motion blur.

It is suggested that you double the FPS to get your working shutter speed, so when shooting at 24 FPS, use at least 1/50 of a second shutter speed and when shooting at 30 FPS, use at least 1/60 of a second shutter speed.

In the picture above slow shutter speed is shown to show the motion.

In the left picture, a higher shutter speed is used to fridge the motion.

slow shutter speed is used for Light trails, light painting, showing the water flow of falls

Aperture Influences on Shutter Speed

Using a low f/stop means more light is entering the lens and therefore the shutter doesn't need to stay open as long to make a correct exposure which translates into a faster shutter speed. Again, the reverse is true: using a high f/stop means that less light is entering the lens and therefore the shutter will need to stay open a little longer which translates into a slower shutter speed.

3. ISO

Definition: ISO measures the sensor’s sensitivity to light. Common ISO values are 100, 400, 800, 1600, and higher.
Effect on Exposure: A higher ISO value makes the sensor more sensitive to light, allowing you to capture images in lower light conditions and resulting in a brighter image. A lower ISO value makes the sensor less sensitive, resulting in a darker image.
Effect on Image Quality: Higher ISO settings can introduce noise (graininess) into the image, while lower ISO settings generally produce cleaner images with more detail.

The Relationship Among Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

These three elements are interrelated in what is known as the Exposure Triangle. Changing one affects the others:

Exposure Balance:
- If you increase the aperture (let in more light), you can use a faster shutter speed or lower ISO to maintain the same exposure level.
- If you decrease the aperture (let in less light), you’ll need a slower shutter speed or higher ISO to maintain exposure.
Creative Control:
- Aperture: Adjusting the aperture affects the depth of field and how much of your scene is in focus.
- Shutter Speed: Adjusting the shutter speed affects how movement is captured and how much light hits the sensor.
- ISO: Adjusting the ISO affects the image’s brightness and graininess.

In practice, you often need to find a balance between these settings based on your shooting conditions and creative goals. For instance, in a low-light environment, you might choose a wider aperture and higher ISO to get a properly exposed image without having to use a slow shutter speed that could introduce motion blur. Conversely, in bright conditions, you might use a smaller aperture and lower ISO with a faster shutter speed to avoid overexposure.

F-stop (Aperture f/4), Shutter speed 1/160 S, ISO 25600. This is an example of a higher ISO.

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