Three Secrets To Mastering Perfect Exposure

Memorize this short “mantra” in order to master photography – ISO, shutter speed, aperture. If you repeat this to yourself a few times you will be able to easily remember the three things that will always save, or ruin, an exposure. They don’t have to come specifically in that order, but nevertheless, these three things are what will determine your exposure.

Why are they so important?

When we talk about a photograph we usually speak of it in terms of subject matter, lighting, balance, etc. In reality, the three things that make that picture possible or effective were the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. If you can master these three activities then you will be able to always create the kind of results you want, regardless of conditions.

Remarkably, even the most modern of digital cameras cannot always guarantee success. That includes top of the range digital cameras. If the camera allows the photographer to shoot entirely in manual mode, however, almost any sort of lighting conditions or photographic requirements can be tackled. Even better, if the camera has “semi-automatic” features such as aperture or shutter priority settings the photographer’s life just got even easier.

Don’t know about these settings?

Well, there are all kinds of descriptions, metaphors, and illustrations as to how these three factors interact to make a final image, but these tend to make very little sense unless you really understand the fundamentals of the three settings. It begins with ISO, which is the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor to the light entering through the lens. The ISO can be automatically adjusted to ever increasing levels of sensitivity, but this comes at a cost, and that is digital “noise” or graininess in the photograph. Instead of making the sensor do the work, the photographer should consider letting more light into the camera.

This can be done via the aperture of the lens or the speed of the shutter. Both choices also come with some valuable and steady compromise, and it is up to the photographer to select the right setting for their photographic intention. When they decide to allow more light in through the lens, by opening or closing the aperture they will instantly change the depth of field. This will make the background and foreground sharper or blurrier. When the photographer sets the aperture at a very low number, such as 2.8, they are actually flooding the camera with light. This shortens the depth of field and makes everything but the subject extremely blurry. Obviously a smaller or higher aperture setting will do the opposite, and this is usually what a landscape or cityscape photographer chooses.

If they decide to control light through shutter speed they will have to understand that slower shutters allow a lot more light into the camera, but this runs the risk of adding blur to the image too. Shutter speed also has a lot to do with controlling motion. When something is moving fast, you will be able to capture that motion as sharp and “frozen in mid air” or, alternatively, you may simply choose a “streaky blur” look to add more artistic value to your image.

A common problem photographers have is shooting fast motion in low light. There really is no “magic” answer to this. You need as much light as possible. Since there are only really three ways to enhance the lighting in your images, you really only have three options available to you; a slower shutter, a wide aperture or a higher ISO. Each have their advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you what you are prepared to gain and prepared to lose. You may want a frozen in mid air look of a fast motion subject and are prepared to have a little more noise in your image. Or you may choose a slightly blurrier look but a lot less noise.

If the photographer knows that they must have a specific aperture or shutter speed for the image, and the camera has priority modes, they can simply set the element that they want, and the camera will tackle the rest. The trick is learning exactly what is required!

If you like this article, please feel free to leave a comment below and bookmark it if you can spare a minute.

This article provided by Amy Renfrey (visit her website)

Top 10 Digital Photo Quick-Fixes

Digital photography has made taking professional-looking photos within the reach of even the rank beginner. Aside from the ease of use and rich features digital cameras themselves offer, we're able to edit our digital photos easily.

Turning an image from ok to extraordinary is only a few clicks away, thanks to digital image editing software like Adobe Photoshop. If you're interested in mastering the top software for editing photos, click the image (or link below) to find out how you can learn Photoshop in 2 hours or less www.edityourdigitalphotos.com.

Here are 10 digital photo quick fixes you can make to make your digital pictures stand out.

1. Remove red eye

Red eyes make your pictures look amateurish. Why put up with it when it's so easy to fix? Take the time to remove red eye from portraits.

2. Sharpen blurred images

Sometimes you've captured the perfect moment, but your hand shook or the subject was moving too fast, or the scene didn't have enough light. The result is a blurry or out-of-focus picture. It's still possible to salvage blurred pictures using image editing software like Photoshop.

3. Fix the exposure

Another quick fix is making sure an image has the right exposure. That is, it's neither too light nor too dark. Adobe Photoshop and other image editing software makes fixing exposure super easy.

4. Crop the image

The simple act of cropping an image can improve it significantly. Crop an image to achieve better composition and remove unwanted elements from the background.

5. Remove spots and blemishes

A blemish can mar an otherwise beautiful smile on a portrait. All it takes is a few clicks to give your subject a perfect complexion.

6. Remove unwanted objects

Sometimes a picture would be perfect... if only that flagpole didn't look like it was growing out of your subject's head! Take out distracting elements from your digital images.

7. Smoothen skin

Use Photoshop's Healing Brush tool to minimize wrinkles and give your subject a more youthful appearance. Edit Your Digital Photos gives a step-by-step video tutorial of how to use it and still get natural, believable results.

8. Straighten the image

A common mistake in digital photos is to have a crooked photograph. This is obvious when a photo includes the horizon - make sure it's level. If it isn't, then edit the image to straighten it.

9. Whiten teeth

This is another way to make your portraits stand out. It's easy to whiten your subject's teeth with Photoshop's Dodge tool - but don't overdo it. Keep it realistic.

10. Correct colors

Is the picture too orangey? Or too green? Or would it look better if it were cooler or warmer? You can easily adjust color levels to achieve the effect you want.

Next time you're about to share or display your pictures, go through this list of quick fixes first. Each one takes only a few minutes to do, but you'll have much better pictures.

Want step-by-step tutorials on using Adobe Photoshop to edit your digital pictures? Find out how you can get your own personal Photoshop tutor. Go to www.edityourdigitalphotos.com

5 Tips For Shooting Winter Landscapes

Some of us, regardless how harsh the weather gets, will brave the tough elements in search of the crisp winter light. Planning well in advance will help make your trip more enjoyable.


Winter brings out the toughest elements in our climate, with many people putting away their camera bags ‘till early spring. But, if you do put away your camera you are missing out on the raw beauty that this magical season brings.

Here are a few tips to make the trip more enjoyable.

1. Wear the right clothes: It’s very important to wrap up warm when out shooting winter images. The winter season brings the toughest elements, so if you are planning to spend a few days out and about always be well prepared.

2. Watch the weather: It’s very important to know what the weather is going to be like. You don’t want to travel for a couple of hours and then hear a weather report that tells you that: the weather is wet for the next few days. During the winter months the weather can dramatically change in a matter of hours.

It’s always advisable to let someone know where you are going and which route you’re planning to take. If you do get injured or ever caught in a storm someone may be able to help.


3. Carry only what you need: Carry only the essentials. You don’t need to upload your camera bag with every piece of equipment you own. If you are going to be out taking pictures all day you are much better off going as light as possible. Carrying a light load will also help preserve energy. You could be climbing icy rocks or crossing snow filled hills; a warm flask would serve you a lot better than a third camera.


4. Look for detail: Snow, ice and frost bring out texture and atmosphere in most subjects. The early frosty morning is an ideal time for close-up photography. The frosty morning also brings out patterns in our landscapes.

Take care where you place your camera: if you are taking pictures early in the morning try placing it at oblique angles to the sun - this will give your images strong shadows. This will also add mood to your landscape images. Once you have found the perfect spot pay extra attention to foreground interest as this will add depth to your image.

5. Expose carefully: Snow and ice are extremely difficult to expose properly. Snow usually confuses your cameras metering system or your hand held light meter. When you take a light reading from snow you will automatically get an underexposed image. The meter will record the snow as grey.

Now is the time to start bracketing your shots. If you bracket your shots add 1 - 2 stops of light to compensate for your light meter reading. Using an 18% grey card, which wil be in more detail in a future article, should also give you a perfect light reading.

Don't get cold!

Krister