Understanding the Exposure Triangle

Understanding the Exposure Triangle:

The exposure triangle is vital knowledge in order to use the camera in manual (this applies to both moving image or photography). The exposure triangle is made of three components: ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. These used correctly and in the correct manner can help benefit a fantastic looking image.

As said by Darren Rowse (2006-2018) "In digital photography the ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor"(1). It is measured in numerals (usually starting with 100, 200, 400, 800 etc). The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the lens becomes to light. The amount of light sensitivity depends on the setting in which you are filming/taking photographs with, If you shoot with low-lighting indoors, you will need to increase the ISO and if you are shooting outdoors in daylight, you would preferably shoot with a lower ISO, otherwise an image can become overexposed. However, if the ISO is too high, you may be susceptible to having grain in your photographs. I conducted three tests shown in the video embedded to support my knowledge. I shot in daylight with ISO 100 vs ISO 200, which proved that too high of an ISO does make your footage become over exposed - maintaining consistent settings in aperture (F13) and 1/50 for shutter speed. At night time, as shown in the tests, the first two comparisons of ISO 100 and 200 could only pick up the slightest bit of light from the lampposts; where as, the ISO being 1600 allowed me to reveal the street, cars and other information about the setting that was not revealed before - If i were to be shooting in that location again at night, I would probably increase the ISO to 3200, as i feel the image is underexposed. However, I would be cautious of grain if i did this. The last test I conducted was indoors with lowlight, I tested out ISO 800, 1600 and 3200 - as I wanted further evidence that grain can be found if the ISO is set too high. ISO 800 as expected produced an underexposed image. ISO 1600 came out okay, but ISO 3200 came out bright, but also showing grain in the blacks.

Within Aperture, "The aperture is built inside each lens and it controls the light entering a camera." Derek Watterson (2010) (3), Aperture is measured in F/Stops, a low aperture will have a wide lens opening (allowing more light to enter the frame) where as a high aperture will have a narrow lens opening (meaning that less light can enter the frame). It can also effect the focal point of your image also, A low aperture allows a shallow focus - letting you focus on an individual item (for example) with the back being out of focus. A higher aperture can allow a deep focus, meaning everything in the frame is in focus. I conducted a test as shown in the video embedded with the aperture at F4 and F16, to prove my knowledge, with a can in the foreground and a mug in the background. The can at F4 was in focus, but the mug wasn't. However at F16, the mug and the can were in focus, the only fault I can depict with this example is that the mug is still slightly blurry - this would definitely not be the case if i went an F stop higher at F22; it still proves that my evidence is substantial.

Shutter speed on the other hand "Shutter speed is responsible for two particular things: changing the brightness of your photo, and creating dramatic effects by either freezing action or blurring motion." Nasim Mansurov (2018) (2). A fast shutter speed will help benefit towards a still photograph, especially when the subject is running/jumping - leading to the fact that fast shutter speeds are used in sports. A slower shutter speed (particularly if it reaches as low as individual seconds) can help achieve a blurred effect. An example for this, which is also found in the video embedded is a contact sheet pdf from when i studied A-Level Photography. In that particular shoot, I was trying to achieve a blurred photograph of a subject (myself) whilst also making sure the lighting was at the correct exposure. This is particularly difficult and proved to be as you can see in the contact sheet. The lower  the shutter speed the brighter the image will appear, meaning the aperture will need to be substantially high so the lens has a small opening with the ISO maintaining 100. I ended up using a phone camera to light the subject for half the time the photo was being taken(approx 15 seconds) and ended up achieving an image later for my final piece as the facial expression was not shown and I created some 'ghostly' looking images.

Pull focus is also beneficial towards the exposure triangle. It is commonly used in moving image to "change focus during a shot. Usually this means adjusting the focus from one subject to another." mediacollege.com (4). An example of pull focus is shown in the clip above, with the focus from the dslr (with a close up shot) to the iMac in the foreground).

Reference List:

Rowse (2006-2018) ISO Settings in Digital Photography, [on-line] https://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings/ - (1)

Mansurov (2018) Understanding Shutter Speed in Photography, [on-line] https://photographylife.com/what-is-shutter-speed-in-photography - (2)

Watterson (2010) What is Aperture?, [on-line] https://photographycourse.net/what-is-aperture/ - (3)

mediacollege.com [on-line] (4)