80% Of Photography Basics In Just 10 Minutes
Summary
TLDRThis video offers a concise introduction to the fundamentals of photography, focusing on the exposure triangle of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. It explains how these elements control the amount of light in an image and influence creative outcomes such as motion blur and depth of field. The video also addresses common beginner mistakes and provides practical tips for achieving sharp images and balanced exposures, encouraging viewers to explore further photography skills and courses.
Takeaways
- 📸 Photography is fundamentally about controlling and managing light, measured in stops of light.
- 🔄 The Exposure Triangle is a concept consisting of Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO, which control the amount of light in an image.
- 🚦 Shutter Speed determines the duration light hits the sensor and affects whether action is frozen or blurred.
- 🌀 Aperture, or f-stops, controls the size of the lens opening and subsequently the depth of field.
- 👀 A larger aperture (lower f-number) results in a shallow depth of field, focusing attention on the subject with a blurred background (bokeh).
- 🏞 For landscapes or architecture, smaller apertures (higher f-numbers) are used to capture a deeper depth of field, keeping more in focus.
- 🔋 ISO represents the sensor's sensitivity to light; lower ISO values are preferred to minimize noise and maintain image quality.
- 📈 Increasing ISO brightens the image but can introduce noise; it should be adjusted last after optimizing shutter speed and aperture.
- 🎯 When approaching a scene, prioritize freezing the action with appropriate shutter speed, then adjust aperture for desired depth of field.
- 🔧 Use Auto ISO if available to let the camera automatically adjust ISO within a set range for convenience.
- 📚 For a comprehensive understanding, consider enrolling in a photography fundamentals course to dive deeper into the technical and creative aspects.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is to teach the basics of photography, specifically the technical principles of using a camera, by covering the exposure triangle which includes shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
How does the concept of 'stops of light' relate to photography?
-Stops of light are used to measure and control the amount of light in an image. Each stop represents a halving or doubling of light, which is crucial for achieving the desired exposure in photography.
What is the exposure triangle and what are its three components?
-The exposure triangle is a concept in photography that describes the three fundamental components of exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. These components work together to control the amount of light that enters the camera and affects the exposure of the image.
How does shutter speed affect the image in terms of motion?
-Shutter speed determines whether the action in the image is frozen or blurred. A faster shutter speed is used to freeze motion, which is ideal for subjects in movement like in sports or street photography. Slower shutter speeds can create a blurry effect, which can be used creatively or for long exposures in night or landscape photography.
What is the relationship between aperture and depth of field?
-Aperture controls the depth of field, which is the range of distance within the image that appears sharp and in focus. A larger aperture (indicated by a lower f-number) results in a shallow depth of field, keeping the subject in focus while blurring the background. A smaller aperture (indicated by a higher f-number) increases the depth of field, keeping more of the scene in focus.
How does ISO affect the image quality and exposure?
-ISO determines the camera sensor's sensitivity to light. A lower ISO results in less noise and better image quality but requires more light. A higher ISO can brighten the image in low light conditions but introduces more noise and reduces dynamic range and color quality.
What is a common mistake beginners make with shutter speed?
-A common mistake beginners make is not using a fast enough shutter speed, which can introduce motion blur or camera shake into the image. Understanding the necessary shutter speed for the subject's movement is crucial for achieving sharp images.
How can the 'auto ISO' function help photographers?
-The 'auto ISO' function allows the camera to automatically adjust the ISO setting based on the lighting conditions and the photographer's defined limits. This can be helpful for managing exposure without having to manually adjust ISO, especially in changing light situations.
What should a photographer do if the image is too dark or too bright?
-If the image is too dark, the photographer can increase the ISO or use a slower shutter speed to allow more light into the camera. If the image is too bright, adjusting the shutter speed to a faster setting can help reduce the amount of light without compromising the desired depth of field.
What is the significance of the 'f-stop' in relation to aperture?
-The f-stop refers to the lens aperture settings. A lower f-stop number indicates a larger aperture, allowing more light into the camera and creating a shallow depth of field. A higher f-stop number indicates a smaller aperture, which lets in less light and results in a deeper depth of field.
What are the next steps for someone who wants to continue learning about photography?
-For those who wish to further their photography skills, they can enroll in a 30-day photography fundamentals course or explore playlists on creative aspects of photography such as visual patterns to deepen their understanding and application of the principles taught in the video.
Outlines
📸 Introduction to Photography Basics
This paragraph introduces the video's purpose, which is to teach the basics of photography in a short time span. It emphasizes the technical principles of using a camera and the importance of understanding these to dive deeper into the art of photography. The video is part of a new series called 'Beginner's Guide 2' aimed at teaching creative skills for new content creators. The video also mentions a 30-day photography fundamentals course for those wanting to fast track their learning. The main theme revolves around the control and management of light, measured in 'stops of light', and introduces the concept of the 'exposure triangle' consisting of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
🚀 Understanding Shutter Speed and Aperture
This paragraph delves into the first two components of the exposure triangle: shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed is described as the duration for which the camera's shutter is open, affecting the amount of light that reaches the sensor. It discusses how faster shutter speeds can freeze action, while slower ones can create blur, which is useful for certain types of photography like landscapes. Aperture is then explained as the size of the lens opening that controls the amount of light entering the camera. It is linked to 'f-stops' and how different apertures affect the depth of field, which determines what parts of the image are in focus. The paragraph also touches on the creative use of a shallow depth of field for drawing attention to the subject and the aesthetic appeal of bokeh.
🌟 Mastering ISO and Balancing Exposure
The final component of the exposure triangle, ISO, is discussed in this paragraph. ISO is described as the sensor's sensitivity to light, with lower ISOs providing less noise and higher ISOs brightening the image but introducing more noise and reducing dynamic range. The paragraph advises on the order of adjusting the exposure triangle settings when approaching a scene: starting with the desired motion (freeze or blur), then depth of field, followed by aperture for light gathering, and finally ISO as the last resort for exposure adjustments. It also suggests using auto ISO functions for convenience. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that these are foundational rules for beginners and encourages viewers to explore further resources for a deeper understanding of photography.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Photography
💡Exposure Triangle
💡Shutter Speed
💡Aperture
💡ISO
💡Depth of Field
💡Bokeh
💡Dynamic Range
💡Noise
💡Creative Intention
💡Auto ISO Function
Highlights
The video teaches 80 basics of Photography in 10 minutes, covering technical principles of camera usage.
Photography is about control and management of light, measured in stops of light.
The exposure triangle is a concept used to control stops of light, consisting of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
Shutter speed determines the amount of time the camera sensor is exposed to light, affecting motion capture.
Fast shutter speeds (e.g., 1/250, 1/400, 1/800, 1/1600) are used to freeze action in various scenarios like street, portraits, sports, and wildlife.
Slow shutter speeds (e.g., 1 second, 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 8 seconds) are used for effects like night photography and landscapes.
Shutter speed affects image sharpness, with slower speeds introducing blur if the camera is not stabilized.
Aperture refers to the lens opening size and controls the amount of light that passes through, known as f-stops.
Aperture affects the depth of field, with larger apertures (smaller f-numbers) creating a shallow depth of field and smaller apertures (larger f-numbers) a deeper one.
Depth of field can be manipulated to focus attention on the subject with bokeh (out of focus blur) for aesthetic appeal.
ISO controls the sensor's sensitivity to light, with higher ISO values increasing brightness but also introducing noise.
A low ISO setting is ideal, but adjustments may be necessary based on the creative needs of the shot.
The video introduces a method for approaching a scene by prioritizing shutter speed, then aperture, and finally ISO.
Auto ISO function can be used to let the camera automatically adjust ISO within a set range for convenience.
If an image is too dark, increase the ISO until the desired exposure is achieved, unless aperture and shutter speed are already optimized.
For overexposed images, adjust the shutter speed to a faster setting if the ISO is at its minimum and aperture is set for creative purposes.
The video emphasizes the importance of understanding and applying the exposure triangle principles for photographic success.
The 30-day Photography Fundamentals Course and Visual Patterns playlist are recommended for further learning on photography basics and the creative side.
Transcripts
in this video I'm going to teach you 80
of the basics of Photography in just 10
minutes these are the technical
principles of how to use your camera and
hopefully by learning this you'll be
inspired to dive into all the other
wonderful skills about learning
photography because there's so much to
learn this video is the very first video
on my new series called beginner's guide
2 which is a new series teaching
creative skills for the new content
creator and if you're a beginner
photographer really wanting to Fast
Track Your development when it comes to
skills then check out my 30-day
photography fundamentals course which I
will leave a link to in the description
box below so photography is all about
the control and the management of light
and we measure that light in what's
called stops of light Now to control
these stops of lightning no images we
use a concept called the exposure
triangle now the exposure triangle has
three main components shutter speed
aperture and ISO all three of these
components have different different
technical ways of changing how much
light is in our image but they all share
the same thing in common in that they
all control stops of light that we have
in our image so they share a common
language now let's talk about the first
component of the exposure triangle
shutter speed and when we take a photo
light comes through the end of the lens
hits the shutter and then hits the
sensor the shutter is the thing in front
of the sensor that opens and allows the
light to come through onto the sensor
and then it closes making our exposure
and the faster the shutter speed you
have the faster that shutter opens and
then closes and this means that less
light is able to make its way onto the
sensor because it's open for less time
now the slower shutter speed you have
the longer the shutter is open for and
the more light is then able to make its
way onto the sensor now creatively the
way to think about shutter speed is to
think about whether or not you want to
freeze the action in your image or
whether you want your image to be blurry
to freeze the action which is going to
be most of the time especially if you're
shooting you know Street or portraits or
sport or Wildlife Etc you want a faster
shutter speed typically so you know one
over 250 one over 400 one over 800 one
over 1600 and so on when it comes to
freezing the action there's no such
thing as too fast of a shutter speed
now if you have a tripod to rest your
camera on then you might be doing night
photography or Landscapes and you might
use slower shutter speeds such as one
second two seconds four seconds eight
seconds or more
now all of these denominations are
actually One Stop of light difference
between each other and for shutter speed
this is how we talk about it in time one
common mistake that people make when
they first start out with photography is
that they complain that their images
just aren't sharp and most of the time
that isn't because they don't have good
gear you know most cameras are actually
pretty good nowadays but actually it's
because they don't have a fast enough
shutter speed and they're introducing
micro Jitters and therefore blur into
their images check out this video I made
here if you want to ensure that your
images are absolutely tack sharp every
single time the second component of the
exposure triangle is called aperture the
aperture refers to the size of the
opening at the end of the lens the
larger this Iris the more light comes
through the smaller the RS the less
light comes through for aperture we
refer to stops of light that it produces
as What's called f-stops the closer to 0
that number the larger the aperture will
be the larger the number the smaller the
aperture will be so common aperture
stops look like f 1.4 F2 F 2.8 F4 F 5.6
f8 f11 F16 and so on
and for example lenses that have a
maximum aperture of f01.4 will have a
very large aperture like this one
now creatively aperture is most commonly
associated with controlling What's
called the depth of field simply put
depth of field refers to how much of the
image can be in Focus so large apertures
like f 1.4 will produce what's called a
very shallow depth of field this means
that the area of focus is quite thin or
is quite shallow and it's typically used
to draw your eye into the thing that's
the most important thing in the
composition while the rest of the image
goes out of focus and this out of focus
blur is commonly known as bokeh and many
people find it to be very aesthetically
pleasing these effects are very often
found in a genres such as portrait or
fashion photography now on the opposite
end if you do Landscapes or architecture
for example you'll probably want a much
deeper depth of field so you would use
smaller apertures such as F 5.6 f8 f11
so that you can get everything in focus
now depth of field can get really really
detailed and complicated because it has
many many other factors such as subject
distance focal length and so on but this
is definitely enough to get you started
just remember if you want less things in
Focus but more available light than a
lower f-stop number like f 1.4 will do
the trick if you want more things in
Focus but less available light than a
higher f-stop number like f11 will do
the trick okay if you're enjoying this
video so far I would really appreciate
it if you would hit that like button for
me so that I know it's good enough to
make even more free videos like this in
the future and the last component of the
exposure triangle is ISO so ISO refers
to the amount of gain the image has so
think of it like giving the sensor more
power to brighten up the image if need
be common stops of iso are ISO 100 200
400 800 1600 3200 to 6400 and so on
now ISO doesn't have an implicit
creative effect on our images like
shutter speed or aperture have and so it
should also be treated in that way with
ISO the more you increase it the
brighter your image becomes but also the
more noise or visual artifacts you
introduce as well you also end up
decreasing dynamic range and color as
well but that's a very Advanced topic
for perhaps another time
ideally you want to have as low of an
ISO setting as possible so long as your
other two settings are correct first one
very common mistake that beginners make
is that they think ISO and noise is a
huge huge deal so they keep it really
really low at the sake of getting their
shutter speed or their aperture
Incorrect and this is a mistake you know
messing up your shutter speed or your
aperture means that you may get an
unintentionally blurry image and you can
never unblur a blurry shot but you can
remove noise from a noisy shot and
because of this think of iso last when
it comes to setting up your shots and
that leads me to bringing all of this
together so when I'm approaching a scene
I want to take a photo of I'll always
think about doing it in this order first
I will think about whether or not I want
my subject in my image to be blurry or
be frozen 99 of the time it's going to
be frozen so that's my decision made for
me and I'll adjust my shutter speed
according to the scene and usually I
will go a little bit faster than I think
I'll need just to be on the safe side
then I'll think about depth of field do
I want many things to be in Focus or do
I just want one thing to be in focus and
usually this change will happen
depending on what I'm shooting like
whether or not it's a landscape or it's
a portrait or if I have a subject in the
foreground and so on most of the time I
actually shoot as large as I can get in
terms of aperture because I like to have
as much light Gathering as possible and
I'm either using prime lenses for
portraits or I'm shooting things very
far away with Landscapes and then lastly
a look at the image and I'll adjust the
iso accordingly a tip here if your
camera has it is to use the auto ISO
function and have your isos set in a
bracket so that you don't even need to
think about it and you can let your
camera handle it all now what do you do
if the image is either too bright or too
dark now if the image is too dark you
need more light so usually I will have
my shutter speed in aperture dialed in
and based on my creative intention which
means all I need to do is just turn my
ISO up until I get the exposure I want
if the image is too bright however and
my aperture is locked in from a creative
standpoint and my ISO was already at the
lowest that it can go then I'll actually
adjust my shutter speed to go even
faster because remember if you're
freezing the action there's no such
thing as too fast of a shutter speed
okay and that's the technical basics of
photography of course we're just
scratching the surface here really but
when it comes to the beginner Basics
these are the basic rules to follow and
over time you'll be able to deeply
understand them and see where you can
stretch and bend these rules as I'm sure
some of you people in the comments are
going to point out but these are the
rules that I teach to all of my
beginners and I think that they're a
great place to start and again if you
want to learn the rest of the
photography Basics then check out my 30
day photography fundamentals course
where I talk about focus and shooting
modes and light and gear and all of that
other good stuff or if you want to learn
about vision and creative side of
Photography then check out my visual
patterns playlist for some free videos
about that over there otherwise stay
tuned for the next videos on this
beginner's guide 2 Series and I will see
you in the next video peace
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