The Exposure Triangle

Adjust one setting — watch how the others must compensate

0 EV
Balanced
f/2.8 Aperture 0
Depth of Field
Shallow Deep
1/125 Shutter 0
Motion
Blur Frozen
400 ISO 0
Noise
Clean Grainy
↕ Click +/− to see how changing one setting affects exposure. Compensate with others to rebalance.

Equivalent Exposures

Same brightness, different creative effects

Aperture

The opening in your lens that controls light and depth of field

f/2.8
f/1.4 f/2 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/16
Shallow depth of field
Light
More
DOF
Shallow

F-Stop Quick Reference

f/1.4 – f/2
Maximum light Very shallow DOF

Portraits with creamy bokeh, low light, subject isolation

f/2.8 – f/4
Good light Shallow DOF

General portraits, events, street photography

f/5.6 – f/8
Moderate light Medium DOF

Groups, environmental portraits, sharpest zone for many lenses

f/11 – f/16
Less light Deep DOF

Landscapes, architecture, everything in focus

f/22+
Diffraction softening

Rarely needed — softens image due to physics. Only for extreme DOF needs.

Remember: Lower f-number = wider opening = more light + shallower depth of field. It's counterintuitive at first, but f/1.4 lets in way more light than f/16.

Shutter Speed

How long light hits your sensor — controls motion blur and exposure

30" 1" 1/30 1/125 1/500 1/1000 1/2000 1/8000
1/125 Handheld sweet spot
Light
Motion Blur

Shutter Speed Guide

Speed Motion Effect Handheld? Best For
30" – 1" Extreme blur / light trails Tripod required Star trails, light painting, waterfalls
1/15 – 1/30 Noticeable blur Risky Intentional motion blur, panning
1/60 – 1/125 Sweet Spot Slight motion Usually OK General handheld, walking subjects
1/250 – 1/500 Mostly frozen Yes Kids, pets, casual sports
1/1000 – 1/2000 Frozen Yes Sports, action, birds in flight
1/4000 – 1/8000 Completely frozen Yes Fast action, wide aperture in bright light

The Reciprocal Rule

Minimum shutter speed ≥
1 focal length
mm
→
1/50 or faster
Sensor:
With IS/VR/IBIS: Shoot 2-4 stops slower
Focal Length Min. Shutter
14mm
1/15 Ultra-wide
24mm
1/30 Wide
35mm
1/40 Standard
50mm
1/50 Normal
85mm
1/100 Portrait
135mm
1/150 Telephoto
200mm
1/200 Long Tele

ISO

Your sensor's sensitivity to light — higher means brighter but noisier

ISO 400
100 200 400 800 1600 3200 6400+
Brightness
Noise
Clean image quality

ISO Quick Reference

ISO 100–400
Cleanest

Base ISO range. Maximum detail, no visible noise. Use whenever possible.

When: Bright daylight, studio with flash, tripod work
ISO 800–1600
Good

Slight noise, usually acceptable. Modern cameras handle this well.

When: Overcast, indoor with good light, golden hour
ISO 3200–6400
Moderate noise

Visible noise but usable. Consider noise reduction in post.

When: Low light, indoor events, dusk/dawn
ISO 12800+
High noise

Heavy noise. Only when you have no other choice — it's better than blur.

When: Night photography, concerts, astrophotography
Pro tip: "Noisy photo > blurry photo." If you need to freeze motion in low light, don't be afraid to push ISO. You can reduce noise in post-processing, but you can't fix motion blur.

Focus & Autofocus

Getting your subject sharp where it matters

Autofocus Modes

Single / One-Shot AF

Canon: One-Shot Nikon: AF-S Sony: AF-S

Locks focus when you half-press shutter. Won't refocus until you release and press again.

Best for: Still subjects — portraits, landscapes, products

Continuous / Servo AF

Canon: AI Servo Nikon: AF-C Sony: AF-C

Continuously adjusts focus as subject moves. Tracks movement in real-time.

Best for: Moving subjects — sports, wildlife, kids, pets

Auto / Hybrid AF

Canon: AI Focus Nikon: AF-A Sony: AF-A

Camera decides between single and continuous based on subject movement.

Best for: Unpredictable situations, beginners

Manual Focus

All cameras: MF

You control focus via lens ring. Use focus peaking or magnification to assist.

Best for: Macro, landscapes at infinity, astrophotography, creative control

Focus Area / Point Selection

Single Point

You choose exactly where to focus. Most precise, requires careful placement.

Zone / Area

Camera focuses within a selected region. Good balance of control and flexibility.

Wide / Auto Area

Camera chooses from all points. Fast but may focus on wrong subject.

Eye / Face Detection

Automatically finds and tracks eyes/faces. Game-changer for portraits.

Golden rule: Focus on the eyes. In portraits, the eyes should always be the sharpest part of the image. If the eyes are soft, the photo feels "off" even if everything else is sharp.

White Balance

Color temperature control — making whites actually look white

1000K Candlelight
2700K Tungsten
3500K Warm white
5000K Daylight
6500K Cloudy
8000K Shade
10000K Blue sky
← Warmer (orange) Cooler (blue) →

White Balance Presets

AWB

Auto

Camera analyzes scene and guesses. Usually good, sometimes inconsistent between shots.

☀

Daylight

~5200K

Direct sunlight, mid-day. Neutral baseline.

☁

Cloudy

~6000K

Slightly warm to compensate for blue cast of overcast sky.

◐

Shade

~7000K

Even warmer. Counters heavy blue in shaded areas.

💡

Tungsten

~3200K

Adds blue to counter orange indoor bulbs.

═

Fluorescent

~4000K

Corrects green tint from fluorescent lighting.

⚡

Flash

~5500K

Matched to camera flash color temperature.

K

Custom / Kelvin

You choose

Set exact temperature. Full control for mixed lighting.

Shooting RAW? White balance is fully adjustable in post-processing with zero quality loss. You can set it to anything while shooting and perfect it later. JPEG shooters need to get it right in-camera.

Metering Modes

How your camera measures light to determine exposure

Matrix / Evaluative

Analyzes the entire frame, dividing it into zones. Uses sophisticated algorithms considering subject, focus point, and scene recognition.

Best for: General shooting, landscapes, even lighting
Default for most situations. Let the camera do the math.

Center-Weighted

Meters the whole scene but gives priority to the center. Classic metering mode from film era.

Best for: Portraits, centered subjects, backlit scenes
Predictable and consistent. Good when subject is center-framed.

Spot Metering

Meters only a tiny area (1-5% of frame), usually at the focus point. Ignores everything else.

Best for: High contrast scenes, stage performers, moon photography
Maximum control. Meter on what matters, ignore the rest.

Highlight-Weighted

Protects highlights from blowing out by biasing exposure to keep bright areas preserved.

Best for: Performers in spotlights, wedding dresses, snow scenes
When clipped highlights would ruin the shot.

Exposure Compensation

-3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Darker Camera's suggestion Brighter

Exposure compensation tells the camera "I know better." Use it to override the meter:

  • Bright scenes (snow, beach): Add +1 to +2 — camera will underexpose bright scenes
  • Dark scenes (night, black cat): Subtract -1 to -2 — camera will overexpose dark scenes
  • Backlit subjects: Add +1 to +2 to brighten the face

Shooting Modes

Understanding when to use Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual

P

Program Auto

Aperture: Auto
Shutter: Auto
ISO: You choose

Camera sets both aperture and shutter. You can shift the combination (program shift).

When: Quick snapshots, when you don't want to think
Av

Aperture Priority

Aperture: You choose
Shutter: Auto
ISO: You choose

You control depth of field. Camera matches shutter speed. Most versatile mode.

When: Portraits (blur background), landscapes (everything sharp), most situations
STv

Shutter Priority

Aperture: Auto
Shutter: You choose
ISO: You choose

You control motion. Camera matches aperture. Prioritize freezing or blurring motion.

When: Sports (freeze action), waterfalls (blur water), panning shots
M

Manual

Aperture: You choose
Shutter: You choose
ISO: You choose

Full creative control. Camera only suggests via light meter — you make all decisions.

When: Studio/flash, tricky lighting, night photography, consistent exposure across shots

Which Mode Should I Use?

1 Is depth of field (blur) your priority?
Yes
A
Aperture Priority Control blur, camera handles exposure
No ↓
2 Is freezing/blurring motion your priority?
Yes
S
Shutter Priority Control motion, camera handles exposure
No ↓
3 Do you need consistent exposure between shots?
Yes
M
Manual Full control, consistent results
No
A
Aperture Priority Most flexible for general use
Pro tip: When in doubt, start with Aperture Priority. It's the most versatile mode for everyday photography.

Scenario Quick Reference

Starting points for common shooting situations

Portrait (Outdoor)

Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture f/1.8 – f/2.8
ISO 100 – 400
Focus Single + Eye AF
Metering Center or Spot
WB Shade (+warm) or Auto

Landscape

Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture f/8 – f/11
ISO 100 (base)
Focus Single, 1/3 into scene
Metering Matrix
Extra Tripod for low light

Sports / Action

Mode Shutter Priority
Shutter 1/500 – 1/2000
ISO Auto (cap at 6400)
Focus Continuous + Zone
Drive Continuous High
Metering Matrix

Street Photography

Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture f/5.6 – f/8
ISO Auto (400–3200)
Focus Continuous or Zone
Metering Matrix
Tip Pre-focus, zone focus

Night / Low Light

Mode Manual
Aperture Wide open (f/1.4–2.8)
Shutter As slow as needed
ISO 1600 – 6400
Focus Manual or Single
Extra Tripod essential

Product / Still Life

Mode Manual or Aperture
Aperture f/8 – f/11
ISO 100 (lowest)
Focus Single, manual fine-tune
WB Custom / Kelvin
Extra Tripod + remote

Event / Wedding

Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture f/2.8 – f/4
ISO Auto (800–6400)
Focus Continuous + Face/Eye
Metering Matrix + Exp. Comp
WB Auto or Flash

Macro / Close-Up

Mode Manual or Aperture
Aperture f/8 – f/16
ISO 100 – 800
Focus Manual (critical)
Stabilization Tripod + mirror lockup
Extra Focus stacking for DOF

Quick Cheat Sheet

Bookmark this — one-line reminders for the field

Shallow DOF? Open aperture (f/1.4–2.8)
Deep DOF? Close aperture (f/8–16)
Freeze motion? Fast shutter (1/500+)
Blur motion? Slow shutter (1/30 or slower)
Low noise? Low ISO (100–400)
More light (low light)? Raise ISO, open aperture, slow shutter
Subject moving? Continuous AF
Subject still? Single AF
Image too dark? + exposure compensation
Image too bright? − exposure compensation
Orange indoors? WB to Tungsten (~3200K)
Blue in shade? WB to Shade (~7000K)