Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO Explained

Just got a fancy DSLR or point-and-shoot and have no idea how the manual settings on your camera work? This handy infographic by Daniel Peters at Fotoblog Hamburg show how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work. Basically, ISO refers to the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light. The aperture works much like the iris in our eyes, opening and closing to let in more or less light, also changing the depth of field. Lastly, shutter speed controls how much time the camera’s shutter remains open when taking a photo. Continue reading for a video explaining everything. Click here for the full-sized image.

“How do you take properly exposed photos, then? Those that are not too dark or too bright. The three – Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO – need to play together well. Let’s say it’s high noon. Of course, you have plenty of sunlight. If your camera aperture is very small you block most of the light. It means the camera sensor needs a longer time to gather light. Now, for the sensor to collect enough light, the shutter has to stay open longer. In other words, you need a slower shutter speed,” reports Lifehack.

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