This is the purpose of good exercises. For the photographer, experience in the basics of aperture/depth-of-focus, shutter-speed/motion, ISO/quality is essential.
Experience in your camera's ISO/quality relationship allows you to make decisions knowing what you could sacrifice to gain shutter speed or depth-of-focus. Experience in depth-of-focus and motion/time allows you to make the basic creative decisions for your photographs.
Below are three exercises designed to minimize your time in gaining this experience. The hope is that you can gain in three days of focused exercise what might take you three years in a haphazard approach.
Subject: Wall, fence or something similar – subject starts in foreground and continues to mid and background.
Light: Similar light throughout, fairly bright; bright enough for ISO of 400 or less.
- Set Aperture wide open; adjust shutter to center meter; take photo.
- Stop down one stop; adjust shutter to center meter; take photo.
- Repeat through range of apertures on your camera. If your viewing software does not capture them, write down your key settings for each picture.
- View photos and describe the differences.
- Adjust distance to subject focus; repeat. Adjust lens length (zoom-in/out); repeat.
Subject: Constant motion at same speed. Water stream or fountain, traffic moving at constant speed… Use tripod or other support for camera.
Light: Similar light throughout, fairly bright; bright enough for ISO of 400 or less.
- Set fast shutter speed, 1/250+; adjust aperture to center meter; take photo.
- Slow shutter speed one stop; adjust aperture to center meter; take photo.
- Repeat through range of shutter speeds to at least 1/15. If your viewing software does not capture them, write down your key settings for each picture.
- View photos and describe the differences.
ISO Exercise
Subject: Fairly close on smooth subject with light and dark areas. Tripod can help keep subject in the same place in the frame and allow a longer shutter speed.
Light: Similar light throughout, fairly bright; bright enough for ISO of 100 or 200 at a comfortable shutter speed.
- Set low ISO setting, whatever your camera’s minimum is; take photo.
- Increase ISO one stop; adjust aperture/shutter to center meter; take photo.
- Repeat through range of ISO settings – at least four if you have them; certainly check the lowest and highest. If your viewing software does not capture them, write down your key settings for each picture.
- View photos and describe the differences.
