Understanding terms like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed helps you take control of your shots instead of relying on automatic settings. This knowledge can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos, no matter what you shoot.
Coming to you from Ed Verosky, this helpfil video introduces key photographic concepts. ISO is one of the three critical settings in the exposure triangle. For our intents and purposes, ISO determines how sensitive your camera is to light. A lower ISO, such as 100 or 200, works best in bright conditions or when you’re using flash, while a higher ISO, like 1600 or 3200, helps in low light. However, higher ISO levels bring digital noise, which can affect your image quality. Modern cameras have improved in handling noise, but it’s still something to watch for. The video explains that ISO isn’t the only way to handle lighting challenges—you’ll often need to adjust aperture or shutter speed, or combine all three settings, to find the perfect balance.
The video also explains aperture, which controls how much light enters your camera. Aperture is measured in f-stops, like f/2.8 or f/16. A lower f-stop means a wider aperture, letting in more light and creating a shallow depth of field. This is ideal for portraits where you want a blurry background. Conversely, a higher f-stop like f/16 results in a narrower aperture, increasing the depth of field for sharper landscapes from front to back. The dual role of aperture in controlling light and depth of field makes it a vital tool for creative composition.
Shutter speed is another key topic. It controls how long your camera's sensor is exposed to light, measured in fractions of a second. Fast shutter speeds like 1/1,000th of a second freeze motion, ideal for action shots. Slow shutter speeds, such as 1/15th, capture motion blur or let in more light in dim settings. The video advises using a shutter speed at least as fast as your lens' focal length to avoid blur, such as 1/50th of a second for a 50mm lens. This simple rule helps ensure sharper handheld shots.
Expanding beyond the basics, the video touches on high-speed sync and also mentions TTL (through-the-lens) metering, an automatic flash feature that adjusts power for balanced exposure. Be sure to check out the video above for the full rundown from Verosky.
