Photographic termsShutter speed

Shutter speed- In photography, shutter speed is the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light, and also when a camera’s shutter is open when taking a photograph. Shutter speed can have a dramatic impact on the appearance and quality of photographs, especially when moving objects are involved. For instance a slow shutter speed often results in a blurred image as the slight shudder of the shutter itself, or the motion caused to the whole camera by the index pressing on the shutter release button create vibrations that are faster than the shutter itself. This will cause the appearance of the objects in the view finder and on the photographs having moved when in fact, it is the camera that has moved.

Fast shutter speed1/250 s, 1/ 500 s, etc. The faster the shutter speed, the shorter the time the image sensor is exposed to light; the slower the shutter speed, the longer the time the image sensor is exposed to light. If you are photographing a subject that is in motion, you will get different effects at different shutter speeds.

Slow shutter speedSlow shutter speed is used for mainly two reasons, first because its quite dark and more light is needed in the camera, or secondly because we might want to introduce some blur into our photo. Some photographers use blur to create more emphasis on a certain part of the photo.

ISOWhat is ISO?-The camera's ISO setting is its sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is. This is measured according to international standards, so ISO100 on one camera will be exactly the same as ISO100 on another. Each ISO setting is double the one before: if you increase the ISO from 100 to 200, you double the camera's sensitivity; and if you increase it from 200 to 400, you double it again. This carries on through the ISO scale. This is deliberate. The ISO settings are designed to double (or halve) the exposure in the same way that the lens aperture settings and shutter speed settings are, and this is why the lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO are often described as the 'exposure triangle’. For example, if you want to use a faster shutter speed without changing the aperture, you could increase the ISO instead.

High and low ISOThe lower the ISO number, the less sensitive it is to the light, while a higher ISO number increases the sensitivity of your camera. The component within your camera that can change sensitivity is called “image sensor” or simply “sensor”.

Aperture & depth of fieldA wide depth of field is when everything in the frame is in focus and a shallow depth of field is where the camera focuses on one object leaving the background blurred. For example, the picture on the right has a shallow depth of field and is purposely focusing on the man’s feet leaving the background blurred.

Manual exposureWhat is manual exposure? When the camera is in the manual exposure mode, you can change either aperture or shutter speed, or both. Once the camera is in the manual exposure mode, the current aperture and shutter speed are shown on the monitor.

Automatic exposureWhat is automatic exposure? Automatic exposure mode (also called automatic exposure and abbreviated as AE) is a standard feature on digital cameras that will automatically determine the correct exposure for pictures without any user input other than to select the AE option before taking a picture.

Colour balanceWhat is colour balance? In photography and image processing, color balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colors (typically red, green, and blue primary colors). An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colors – particularly neutral colors – correctly.

White balanceWhat is white balance? White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Proper camera white balance has to take into account the "color temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light.

CompositionWhat is composition? In general, the term “composition” has two distinctive, yet related meanings. First and foremost, “composition” describes placement of relative objects and elements in a work of art. Consequently, composition is a key aspect of a good work of art.

Rule of thirdsWhat is rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section.

Analogous coloursWhat are analogous colours? Analogous colors are groups of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, with one being the dominant color, which tends to be a primary or secondary color, and a tertiary. Red, orange, and red-orange are examples.

Complementary coloursWhat are complementary colours? Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates. Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green.

MacroWhat is macro? Macro photography is zoomed in photography when you capture a detailed picture of something very little.