A beginner’s guide to camera fundamentals.
In this week’s edition of photography tips and tricks for beginners, we examine the fundamental components of a camera, presented in the subsequent sequence – aperture, shutter and camera sensor.
When one looks back to the use of film cameras in terms of these fundamental components, the tasks handled by today’s camera sensors and memory cards were previously managed by the film itself.
Fast-forward to today’s digital era and the increased prevalence of digital cameras, the electronics within these devices now convert incoming light data captured by the camera sensor into digital information.
The data is subsequently stored within the camera’s memory for future use.
Various camera models utilise diverse types of external memory cards as storage mediums.
Among the well-known options for storing photos are Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, and CompactFlash cards.
Aperture
At its core, the aperture refers to the opening of a lens’s diaphragm through which light passes.
Calibrated in f/stops, it is generally written as numbers such as 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16.
Beginners should note that lower f/stops give more exposure because they represent the larger apertures, while the higher f/stops give less exposure as they represent smaller apertures.
Initially, this might appear somewhat inconsistent, but as you capture images at different f/stops, the concept will become more comprehensible.
Prior to anything else, consult the manual to understand how to configure Aperture Priority on your camera.
Then, engage in experimentation to become skilful at adjusting the aperture and discerning the diverse impacts that varying apertures will exert on the final image.
Shutter Speed
Photographs are captured by a camera through the process of exposing a digital sensor or a film to light.
The shutter functions as a barrier preventing light from entering when you’re not actively capturing a photo.
By pressing the button located at the camera’s top (referred to as the shutter release), you initiate the opening of the shutter.
During this open state, an image is captured. The camera stops recording as the shutter closes.
Consequently, the shutter speed denotes the duration for which this barrier remains open, enabling light to enter the image.
Shutter speed indicates the duration of time during which an image is subjected to light, varying from mere milliseconds to extended minutes. As one of the trio factors that influences the brightness or darkness of an image, collectively known as exposure. Comprehending shutter speed is pivotal to achieve a complete creative command over the camera.
Should the shutter remain open for an extended period, the lens will permit a significant amount of light, which might result in an overly bright or overexposed image, unless you are capturing an extremely dim scene. Conversely, employing a too swift shutter speed will lead to a photograph that appears excessively dark.
Image Sensitivity
In that relation, image sensitivity (ISO) is a parameter related to the camera sensor, and helps control the sensitivity of the camera sensor. ISO is a system describing how sensitive a photographic film or digital sensor is to the light. This is done by measuring the speed of the film.
The greater the ISO setting, the more finely tuned the camera’s sensitivity becomes. Nonetheless, pushing the ISO beyond a certain threshold will lead to the generation of noise (gritty, grainy specks) in the image.
In contemporary digital cameras, standard ISO settings include 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200. Nevertheless, advanced digital cameras offer an extended ISO range, commencing at ISO 50 and reaching up to 4,000,000 on specialised camera models.
Image Exposure
The three elements explained previously – aperture, shutter speed, and ISO – combine to create the Exposure Triangle, also recognised as the Three Pillars of Photography.
Their cooperative effects result in the eventual image exposure.
Camera Metering
Additionally, the mechanism by which your camera determines the appropriate shutter speed and aperture in relation to the available light is known as metering.
In simpler terms, metering is the method employed by contemporary cameras to gauge light, enabling them to determine the correct exposure without requiring an external light meter.
Today, every digital camera has an integrated light meter that automatically measures the reflected light and determines the optimal exposure.
The most common metering modes in digital cameras today are Matrix Metering (Nikon), also known as Evaluative Metering (Canon); Centre-Weighted Metering; Spot Metering and Highlight-Weighted Metering.
When you aim your camera towards a highly illuminated region, the bars will shift towards the “+” side, indicating an excess of light for the existing exposure parameters.
In contrast, if you direct your camera at a dimly lit area, the bars will move towards the “-” side, signifying insufficient light.
In order to attain the optimal exposure as indicated by your camera’s meter, you will need to adjust your shutter speed either up or down until the bars align at “0”.
Other aspects you need to take note of are white balance, shooting mode and depth of field (DoF), as white balance configurations establish the mood of the image; shooting modes are the camera or exposure modes that cover settings on digital cameras that determine how the camera behaves when capturing; and DoF outlines the distance between the nearest and farthest objects that exhibit an adequately clear appearance.
Moreover, for those new to photography, it’s advisable to avoid using the fully automatic mode if you’re keen on grasping the fundamentals of photography.
I suggest to start with the aperture priority mode as this is a semi-automatic setting enabling you to establish your preferred aperture settings and enables the camera to calculate the remaining exposure parameters in accordance with the lighting conditions.
Remember the journey of photography is one of exploration and learning.
By gradually moving away from fully automatic modes, you unlock the true potential of your camera and develop your skills as a photographer.
In the next edition, we will delve into the exciting world of composition and lighting techniques to elevate your photography to the next level. – Khayr Zakariyya
