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ISO 800, f/18 @ 1/2sec

Photos (with settings), hoorah! A lot of new photographers have been looking for a site with photos and the camera settings to get them, so I decided to make that site to help us all out! Take a look around.

When learning how to create a different types of pictures it can be really useful for new photographers to see the settings used alongside the pictures. There are a lot of variables to take into account, so it's important to note that plugging these settings into your camera won't necessarily give you an identical picture. The amount of light, shadows, distance from the subject, and others will have an effect on your photos, but you can see the general patterns and rough ranges of settings used to get a particular look.

Recognizing which settings are most important is also hugely useful. This almost always involves either aperture or shutter speed. Once you know which setting will give you the look you want, you can focus on that and adjust the others for correct exposure.

Aperture

Aperture controls depth of field, basically what is in focus and what is blurry. If you are shooting a portrait and want your subject in sharp focus with the background blurry, you will use a low aperture. But if you’re shooting a landscape and want the entire frame in focus, a high aperture is best.

Aperture is basically the opening that lets light into your camera’s sensor. By changing the aperture you are controlling how big that opening is, and how much light gets in. Aperture is measured in f-stops, usually from about f/1.8 (large opening) up to f/22 (small opening).  

Once the aperture is set, you can use aperture priority to have the camera automatically set the shutter speed for the correct exposure or you can do it manually. 

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is important when movement is involved. Whether you want to freeze an action shot, create a flowing river effect, or get that streak of light from car lights on a freeway. 

ISO 200, f/18 @ 15sec

Shutter speed is how quickly the shutter opens and closes over the opening in your camera, controlling how much light can hit the camera’s sensor. Shutter speeds will range from very fast, around 1/1000^th of a second, to very slow, sometimes a full 30 seconds between pushing the button and the camera completing the exposure.

Exposure is basically set the same way as in aperture priority, but the other way around. Once the shutter speed is set, you can use shutter priority to have the camera set the aperture for the correct exposure or do it manually.

A note on ISO and White Balance:

When ISO is paired with aperture and shutter speed you get the Exposure Triangle, the three key settings that control the exposure in your photos. Generally you want your ISO as low as possible, around 100-200. This works well with good lighting, but if shooting indoor you may need to crank it up. The higher the ISO, the more noise there will be in the photo, so keep it at the lowest setting you can that will still allow a proper exposure. 

And on to White Balance. Our eyes naturally adjust to different light sources so that white always appears white, but cameras can be fooled. Take a few minutes to learn how to set the white balance on your camera, it’s usually pretty simple. All you need to do is chose the lighting condition that most closely matches the presets in the camera, whether you are shooting in direct sunlight, in shade, under incandescent lights, with a flash, etc.

These are just the basics, there are tons of free articles out there that go much more in depth. But now, on to the photos!

ISO 100, f/22 @ 1/125sec