Cameras exist as recording devices, whether it be for personal or professional use. People use them to capture memories, convey feelings, communicate information, the list goes on and on.
As development furthered for them they have become more accessible to the everyday person with easier automatic settings and auto-focus. Even with these additions, it still remains that the user must learn the settings to be the one taking the picture, not letting the camera instead.
Learning to shoot using manual settings can seem daunting, however the individual mechanics are not that complex. The basic three a photographer needs to grasp are shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. All three control light in differing ways, but all interact and support one another.
ISO, or International Standards Organization, is a tool to a increase the camera's sensitivity to light. It can be a double-edged sword in the case that at higher settings, it could add grain to the photo which may damage the usability of the image.
Aperture is the opening of the lens, which is affected by both the lens itself as well as the zoom capabilities. The more open the lens is, the more light can be let in, vice versa for when it is more closed. Changing this setting can also affect the depth that is captured in the shot, with more open capturing a more shallow shot and more closed capturing a wider depth.
Shutter speed is the final major influence of light that a photographer plays with. This setting is most dependent on the situation unfolding as it can be used to also affect how motion is captured. At faster speeds, it can effectively halt motion while at slower speeds it can be used to blur motion. Both have their own relative uses, however longer speeds allow for more light to drawn in, which can affect the image.
These three are some of the core settings that must be set and managed during a shoot, as they all play in tandem with one another. Say for instance, a photographer was asked to shoot a sports game. If it were during the day, the ISO could be set quite low due to the natural light, along with keeping the shutter speed quite fast to help stop motion. Depending on the types of shots that would be necessary, the aperture could vary but for the most part during a game a wider depth would be used.
Composition comes into play next with all its varying complexities. Perspective comes into play with setting up the shot before clicking the shutter button, as there may only be one chance to capture an image. The photographer has to measure the area, grasp the angles and figure out which would be the best to capture in the moment.
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