Beginner Photography Series – Part 1

Have you ever taken a photograph that looked too dark, too bright, or blurry? You’re not alone. Every photographer experiences this when they first begin. The good news is that creating well-exposed images isn’t about owning an expensive camera—it’s about understanding three simple settings that work together.

These three settings are known as the Exposure Triangle:

• Aperture
• Shutter Speed
• ISO

Once you understand how these settings interact, you’ll have the confidence to move beyond Auto mode and start creating photographs that match your creative vision.

What Is Exposure?

Exposure refers to the amount of light that reaches your camera’s image sensor when you take a picture.

Think of your camera like a bucket collecting rainwater. If too much rain falls into the bucket, it overflows. If too little rain falls, the bucket stays nearly empty. Your goal is to collect just the right amount.

Photography works the same way.

• Too much light creates an overexposed image that appears washed out and loses detail in bright areas.
• Too little light creates an underexposed image that appears dark and hides detail in the shadows.
• The right amount of light produces a balanced exposure with detail throughout the image.

The Exposure Triangle gives you three ways to control that light.

Aperture: The Lens Opening

Aperture is the opening inside your camera lens that allows light to pass through.

Imagine opening and closing the blinds on a window.

• Open the blinds wide and lots of light enters.
• Close them nearly shut and much less light comes through.

The same idea applies to your camera.

Wide Aperture (Small f-number)

Examples:

• f/1.8
• f/2.8
• f/4

A wide aperture:

• Lets in more light
• Creates a blurry background (shallow depth of field)
• Works well for portraits and low-light photography

Narrow Aperture (Large f-number)

Examples:

• f/11
• f/16
• f/22

A narrow aperture:

• Lets in less light
• Keeps more of the scene in focus
• Works well for landscapes and architecture

Beginner Tip

If you’re photographing a person, try f/2.8–f/5.6 to help the subject stand out from the background.

If you’re photographing mountains or forests, try f/8–f/11 to keep more of the scene sharp.

Shutter Speed: How Long the Camera Sees

Your camera has a shutter that opens and closes when you press the shutter button.

Shutter speed is simply how long the shutter stays open.

Think of opening your front door during a rainstorm.

Open it for one second and a lot of rain comes in.

Open it for only a fraction of a second and very little enters.

Your camera works the same way.

Fast Shutter Speeds

Examples:

• 1/500 second
• 1/1000 second
• 1/2000 second

Fast shutter speeds:

• Freeze action
• Reduce motion blur
• Great for sports, wildlife, and children

Slow Shutter Speeds

Examples:

• 1/30 second
• 1 second
• 10 seconds

Slow shutter speeds:

• Let in more light
• Blur moving subjects
• Create silky waterfalls and smooth water
• Usually require a tripod

Beginner Tip

If you’re handholding your camera, try to stay at 1/125 second or faster to reduce blur caused by camera movement.

ISO: Your Camera’s Light Sensitivity

ISO controls how sensitive your camera’s image sensor is to light.

Think of ISO as the camera’s “brightness booster.”

Low ISO

Examples:

• ISO 100
• ISO 200

Low ISO:

• Produces cleaner images
• Shows less digital noise (grain)
• Best for sunny days

High ISO

Examples:

• ISO 1600
• ISO 3200
• ISO 6400

High ISO:

• Helps in darker environments
• Allows faster shutter speeds
• Increases digital noise

Beginner Tip

Whenever possible, start with ISO 100 outdoors and only increase ISO when you need more light.

How the Three Settings Work Together

The Exposure Triangle is called a triangle because changing one setting often requires adjusting one or both of the others.

For example:

Imagine you’re photographing a flower.

You change your aperture from f/11 to f/2.8.

Your lens now lets in much more light.

If you leave everything else unchanged, your photo may become too bright.

To balance the exposure, you could:

• Use a faster shutter speed.
• Lower the ISO.
• Or adjust both slightly.

Now imagine you’re photographing a soccer game.

You need a fast shutter speed to freeze the action.

A faster shutter speed lets in less light.

To maintain a proper exposure, you might:

• Open the aperture wider.
• Increase the ISO.

Every exposure is a balance between these three controls. As you become more comfortable, you’ll instinctively know which setting to adjust first based on the image you want to create.

Remember the Goal

Instead of memorizing numbers, remember what each setting controls.

SettingControlsCreative Effect

Aperture Amount of light entering the lens Background blur and depth of field

Shutter Speed Length of exposure Motion blur or frozen action

ISO Sensor sensitivity Brightness and image noise

Weekend Photo Challenge

The best way to learn photography is by taking photographs.

This week’s challenge will help you see how each part of the Exposure Triangle changes an image.

Exercise 1: Aperture

Photograph the same flower or object using:

• f/2.8 (or your lens’s widest aperture)
• f/5.6
• f/11

Compare how the background changes.

Exercise 2: Shutter Speed

Photograph a moving subject, such as running water, passing cars, or someone walking.

Try:

• 1/1000 second
• 1/250 second
• 1/30 second

Notice how movement changes in each photograph.

Exercise 3: ISO

Photograph the same indoor scene using:

• ISO 100
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1600

Zoom in on your images and compare the amount of digital noise.

Herbert’s Field Tip

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is changing all three settings at the same time. When you’re learning, adjust only one setting, take a photograph, and study the result before changing another. This simple habit will help you understand the Exposure Triangle much faster than reading about it alone.

Looking Ahead

Now that you understand how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together, you’re ready to take the next step.

In Part 2: Mastering Aperture Priority Mode, you’ll learn how to let your camera handle the technical side of exposure while you focus on creating beautiful images with the depth of field you want.

Happy shooting!