What factors affect the exposure when photographing. Secrets of a Successful Exposition. Getting a great shot

Low light shooting requires slow shutter speeds

The term "Exposure" means the amount of light that hits the photosensitive photographic material in a given period of time. The three main parameters that affect exposure are sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture. Most modern cameras, whether analog or digital, automatically control these three parameters. Some compact cameras have manual control functions, and all SLR cameras provide the photographer with full manual control over all parameters, functions and settings.

How does the camera determine the shutter speed, aperture and sensitivity? If the answer to this question is not so obvious to you, then don't worry, we can figure it out together. Many aspiring photographers find the subject of exposure too difficult to understand. But one has only to understand the terms, and everything becomes clear and simple. By understanding the essence of determining the correct exposure pairs, you can explain to yourself the reasons for the blurry, dark or too light images that are so frustrating for beginners. You will also understand what your camera is capable of in different situations.

Diaphragm

A diaphragm is used to control the amount of light transmitted through the lens. With the diaphragm, you control the size of the aperture created by its blades in the lens space of the lens. The wider the aperture opening, the stronger the light output through the lens, and the better the camera is prepared for challenging low-light situations. The aperture value (f /) is always represented as a decimal number, which decreases as the aperture diameter increases. For example, the aperture diameter at f / 2.0 is larger than at f / 2.8.

Different diaphragm diameters primarily affect the depth of field (DOF). At small diameters, the depth of field increases, and all objects in the frame are displayed equally sharply. At high values, the entire surrounding world becomes blurred, increasing the emphasis on the main object that is in focus.

A camera with a smaller aperture value (large relative diameter) is preferable for working in the dark and twilight when it is impossible or unacceptable to use additional artificial lighting. The tripod is undoubtedly necessary tool for twilight and night filming.

Exposure (exposure time)

So, we figured out that by changing the aperture, you can limit the value of the input luminous flux. But the camera also controls the time duration of the light flux for the correct exposure, that is, it determines the number of seconds required at a certain aperture value and a certain sensitivity. At a fast shutter speed, the shutter will open for exposure in hundredths of a second, allowing the camera to “freeze” the movement of the subject. And with a duration of a second, all moving objects will leave a trail in the frame, which can be used as a technique that emphasizes the dynamics of what is happening. Exposures, as a rule, have discrete values: for example, in the range from 15s to 1 / 2000s, these values ​​will be the following: 15s - 8s - 4s - 2s - 1s - 1/2 s - 1 / 4s - 1 / 8s - 1 / 16s - 1 / 30s - 1 / 45s - 1 / 90s - 1 / 160s - 1/320 s - 1 / 500s - 1 / 1000s - 1 / 2000s. However, some cameras can smoothly change the shutter speed and are able to more accurately set the parameters of the camera for the correct exposure.

At the same exposure value, the number of combinations of shutter speed and aperture can be more than ten. If your image is blurry, fuzzy, or blurry, then a slow shutter speed was selected when shooting. To get rid of this blur, you need to set a faster shutter speed or open the aperture.

Light sensitivity (ISO)

The third parameter in determining the correct exposure is the photosensitivity of the photocell (film or sensor). The photosensitivity value characterizes the ability of the photocell to perceive the light flux. Different ISO values ​​suggest: for high sensitivity (ISO 400 or more units) - short exposure of the photocell, for low light sensitivity (ISO 100 units or less) - long exposures, with a constant aperture value. In most digital cameras, a high ISO is always associated with strong digital noise, similar to film grain, and sometimes with reduced color fidelity. This forces a more careful selection of the correct light sensitivity.

Every novice photographer will inevitably face such a problem as overexposed or underexposed images. Here the question arises: what parameters spoil the picture so much and what to do to make the photos look perfect? The answer is simple: every beginner should first of all come across such a concept as exposure - it is she and its parameters that are responsible for what happens to the light in the picture. This is the basics of photography.

Exposition: what is it?

The term "exposure" can be explained as the amount of light incident on a light-sensitive material at a certain time. In other words, this parameter shows how much light affects the matrix for some time of its exposure. To put it even easier, the light that hit the camera's matrix is ​​the resulting picture.

It would be more correct to say that the exposure itself is not a specific parameter, but its constituent parts, which are adjusted based on the specifics of a particular shooting. All the light entering the camera is transmitted to the main exposure parameters, of which, by the way, there are only three - they are also called exposure parameters. It is them that should be given attention in the article in order to understand what the correct exposure is.

Exposure parameters that affect exposure

Exposure is influenced by parameters that all photographers know (or should know), regardless of professional level... We're talking about the basics like aperture value, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity. Almost all cameras (both analog and digital) can automatically control these three parameters, but all DSLRs have a manual control function for them: it gives the maximum possibilities when shooting.

It may seem that it will be impossible for a beginner photographer to understand the use of shooting settings: there are too many terms, meanings and rules in this area, and even the laws of physics will come in handy. But, having put everything on the shelves, you will very quickly understand how capacious these concepts will be and how easily they will enter your work.

Aperture and its diameter

A diaphragm is a device with petals, which is designed to adjust the diameter of the hole through which light enters the camera's matrix. These diaphragm blades can be iron or plastic, and they cover and open the hole in the camera lens. In order for your photo to be successful, the sensor needs a certain amount of light every time - and it is the aperture value that helps to cope with this task.

It is logical to assume that the more the lens aperture is open, the more light enters the frame - this option is perfect for photographs of places with very little illumination. The aperture value is denoted by the letter f, next to which there is a decimal number - the smaller it is, the more the aperture is open, and vice versa. This means that f / 2.0 will always be higher than, for example, f / 2.8.

Each of the possible diaphragm diameters will primarily affect the depth of field - the depth of field. When the f value is small, the depth of field becomes larger, which means that all objects in the frame will look the same sharp. If the aperture value is large, most of the frame becomes very blurry, and the chosen main subject becomes very sharp.

It is necessary to use small apertures and a large diameter in low light conditions: at night and in cases where the application additional sources artificial lighting is impossible. Keep in mind that using a tripod in such situations is a must.

Exposure time or shutter speed

Exposure is the time during which light enters the matrix. It is measured in seconds and fractions of a second. In addition to the fact that we change the amount of light flux passing into the matrix with the aperture of the camera, it is also necessary to control the time that this light enters the matrix. For the correct exposure, it is very important to choose the correct shutter speed that will be combined with the aperture value and sensitivity.

A fast shutter speed allows you to open the camera shutter for a few hundredths of a second, which means that such exposure will help stop or freeze the subject in the frame, even if it is in motion. If the exposure time is equal to a second, then a trail and some blur from the object will immediately become visible in the photograph - this technique also takes place in art. Usually, shutter speeds on a SLR camera have discrete values: in the range from 15 seconds to 1/2000 seconds, these values ​​will be the following: 15s - 8s - 4s - 2s - 1s - 1/2 s - 1 / 4s - 1 / 8s - 1 / 16s - 1 / 30s - 1 / 45s - 1 / 90s - 1 / 160s - 1/320 s - 1 / 500s - 1 / 1000s - 1 / 2000s. But there are cameras that are able to change these values ​​smoothly, thereby setting the most appropriate parameters for the exposure we need.

In the same exposure, you can find a variety of aperture values ​​and shutter speeds (exposure pairs) - there can be more than ten of them. Take a closer look at the picture: if it is blurry, looks fuzzy and the subject is blurred, then you used a shutter speed that was too slow in the exposure camera. Fixing the problem is simple: decrease the shutter speed and open the aperture wider.

Light sensitivity (ISO)

Light sensitivity shows how sensitive the matrix is ​​to the incoming light flux. The ISO value can be of two photocells: a film or a sensor. It shows how much one of the elements is able to perceive light. The higher the ISO value, the brighter the photo will be.

The values ​​can be very different, and for different shooting they vary and are combined in different ways with other parameters. For high sensitivities, where ISO is greater than 400, short exposures are used, and for low values ​​up to ISO 100, slow shutter speeds and a constant aperture f value are used.

Most often, if the value of light sensitivity is large, then on digital cameras when shooting it will be expressed in excess digital noise, which resembles film grain. Sometimes you can even degrade or lose the correct color rendition - which is why try to choose the correct ISO, which will not ruin the picture.

How do exposure parameters interact?

Exposure involves a certain amount of light that hits the sensor. The larger it is, the brighter the image will be, the smaller, the darker. All three parameters mentioned earlier (aperture size, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity) are closely related: by changing one thing, you will automatically change the other two parameters. It is worth showing examples of such a close connection of all elements.

For example, if the shooting location is well lit, then opening the aperture, we pass a lot of light to the matrix. Reducing the shutter speed and setting the minimum value for ISO sensitivity will help to take a picture without overexposure.

In conditions where there is clearly not enough light for a successful photo, one open aperture is never enough to make the exposure acceptable and good. This means that it is worth increasing the exposure - after all, the luminous flux entering the matrix is ​​not enough, which means that it will take more time for correct exposure. And, depending on what result is to be achieved, it raises the photosensitivity to a certain desired value.

These two interactions, which we described above, can be called classic cases that will help you understand the principles of building an exhibition. Do not forget that in addition to these three parameters, you need to work with other factors: for example, with the same depth of field, which was mentioned above - it directly depends on the value of f.

Exposure control modes

Modern digital and SLR Cameras give us a choice of how to work on an exposure. There are three options for how to work with aperture, shutter speed and ISO:

• Manual mode (denoted by the letter M). Allows you to independently adjust all three parameters we need: aperture value, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity;
• Aperture priority mode (denoted by the letters Av or A). Here you can independently control such parameters as aperture and light sensitivity, but the shutter speed is automatically controlled by your camera;
• Shutter priority mode (denoted by the letters Tv or S). Here the camera already controls the aperture values. But you can independently work with ISO values ​​and shutter speed.

How do I work with metering mode?

The camera is able to determine the exposure by itself, based on the metering made and the set parameters. Cameras of various manufacturers offer you to choose the mode in which exposure metering will take place - there are four of them.

1. Evaluative ... In it, the camera divides the picture into zones, and in each of them the ratio of brightness and shadow is measured, after which the average value is displayed on the screen.
2. Partial ... Metering is carried out over one specific area, which is about 15 percent of the entire frame.
3. Point ... The measurement area in this mode does not exceed one to five percent.
4. Center-weighted ... Here, the brightness will be measured at the very center of the image - then this value is averaged.

Fourth parameter - exposure compensation

Now you know that in addition to the main and most important exposure parameters of aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity, you can add another one to the group - exposure compensation.

Exposure compensation is applied then, the frame is set, all the basic parameters have already been set, and the camera has measured the exposure. Exposure compensation allows you to slightly correct the picture, making it either darker or brighter. For this mode, various manufacturers have even allocated a separate button on their cameras.

If the correction is done, you will notice that the exposure has changed by about 0.3 units. This change can be made through the menus on your camera. Using exposure compensation allows you to correct the brightness in a photo in the shortest possible time.

Now every newbie in photography will understand how important it is to work with exposure and its exposure parameters. And most importantly, it will become much easier and not so scary to understand these terms and meanings. Don't forget that there are countless nuances in photography that even professional photographers have been exploring their entire lives. That is why you should think towards the fact that you need to practice photography as often as possible - this way you will quickly become subject to this interesting craft.

Understand what exposure is and how it affects photographs. Exposure is a general term that encompasses two aspects of photography that determine how light or dark an image will appear.

• An exposure meter is built into the camera to control exposure. The light meter determines the correct exposure, namely the aperture value and shutter speed. The aperture value is defined as the ratio of the focal length to the size of the aperture opening and is denoted by a fraction with the letter "f" (for "focus") in the numerator, and sometimes by an uppercase "F" and a number. F / 2.8 (F2.8) means 1 / 2.8, while f / 16 (F16) is 1/16. The larger this number, the smaller the aperture opening it corresponds to. Imagine a pie sliced ​​into pieces: 1 / 2.8 of the pie is much larger than 1/16.
• Don't be intimidated by this, but the aperture and shutter speed will be different for each photo, depending on the lighting conditions and how light or dark you want the photo to be.
• Here's a simple example to figure it out. Imagine a bucket of water with a hole in the bottom. If the hole is large (open aperture), water will flow out quickly (fast shutter speed). Conversely, if the hole is small (closed aperture), water will flow out slowly (slow shutter speed).
• Exposure, or the amount of light, is determined by two parameters: the aperture value (the size of the open hole) and the shutter speed (the time during which the camera shutter remains open). Opening the shutter for longer will allow more light to enter the film or image sensor, and the photo will be brighter. If you reduce the shutter speed, less light will enter the film or sensor and the result will be darker. Long exposure: the picture is more exposed, there is more light; fast shutter speed: the picture is less exposed, there is less light.

Learn what aperture is. Aperture value ( f-number) is a fraction representing the size of the open hole compared to the focal length of the lens. The diaphragm is an opaque partition in the lens with an adjustable diameter hole through which light enters the film or matrix.

Here's an example. Let's say you have a 50mm f / 1.8 lens. Aperture value number is calculated as the focal length divided by the diameter of the aperture opening. So 50 / x = 1.8, or x ~ = 28. The actual diameter of the hole through which the light passes is 28 mm. If the aperture was f / 1, then the hole would be 50 mm, since 50/1 = 50. This is what is meant by the aperture value.

Explore your digital camera's manual mode (M mode). In manual mode, you can set the value for both aperture and shutter speed. If you want complete control over your shooting and exposure, you need to learn how manual mode works - it's not just crazy geeks and people who still shoot on film! Manual mode is still alive today, even in the digital world today, as it allows you to adjust all the settings on which it depends. appearance the image and the impression it makes.

Understand why you need to change exposure. Aperture is extremely important for photography; it lets light into the lens, and light is the most important thing in photography. If there is no light, there will be no image.

• Set the aperture value to adjust both the amount of light and the depth of field (the area in which objects in the frame will be in focus).
• Shoot at wide open apertures such as f / 2 or f / 2.8 for a blurry background and an extremely sharp subject. Open aperture is also used when shooting in low light conditions to avoid blurry shots.
• Shoot at medium aperture, f / 5.6 or f / 8, so your subject is clear and objects in the background are slightly out of focus but distinct.
• Shoot with a closed aperture, such as f / 11 or even smaller if possible, so that all the details of the landscape - the flowers in the foreground, the river, and the mountains in the distance - are in focus. However, depending on the format, very small apertures, such as f / 16 and below, can cause loss of clarity due to diffraction, or refraction.
• For many photographers, aperture is much more important than shutter speed to get great photos, as it adjusts the depth of field in the image, and it is difficult to tell by eye the difference between pictures taken at a shutter speed of 1/250 or 1/1000 of a second.

Learn how to change the shutter speed on your digital camera. This can be a tuning wheel, a button on the camera, or one of the menu items.

It's always best to underexpose. Of course, you always want the exposure to be perfect, but if you can't do it, let better shot will be underexposed (underexposed, darkened). When a photo is overexposed, all information is lost and cannot be recovered. If the snapshot is underexposed, you have a chance to restore it during post-processing. You can achieve underexposure with your camera's exposure compensation tool.

Explore the program mode of your camera. The different exposure modes in your camera allow you to adjust the image in different ways. The basic mode is programmed (mode P), which allows you to influence both shutter speed and aperture, and automatically changes the second parameter, so that the photo is exposed exactly according to the metering results. The advantage of program mode is that you don't need to know everything. This is only slightly higher than the fully automatic mode.

Get to know the Aperture Priority Mode. On your digital camera, you can select aperture priority mode (A or Av mode). In this mode, you adjust the aperture value to set the exposure. The camera will select the appropriate shutter speed. Aperture priority mode is considered the most useful and preferred in most situations. So choose your aperture, whether it's f / 2.8 for a blurry background, f / 8 for a moderate depth of field, or f / 16 for everything in focus.

Exposition. For most novice photographers, this word raises many questions: What does the word exposure mean in photography? How to display it correctly? What is included in this concept?

The history of this term dates back to the era of film cameras, when (oh, horror!) Auto-shooting modes had not yet been invented, and photographers independently set all the necessary parameters. And in order not to waste such a precious frame of film, they used a very tricky device - an exposure meter, which was designed for exposure time (what it is, you will find out later) and aperture number. As for the photosensitivity, this parameter in film cameras was set depending on the available photographic film.

So what is "camera exposure"? This is the amount of light that hits the film or the matrix of a digital camera in a given time. This is called exposure.

Exposure triangle in photography

In the world of photography, there are only three links that make up the ideal exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Correct exposure in photography is like a perfect triangle: all sides of which are equally equal. Changing any of the sides of the "exposure triangle" immediately changes the other sides.

As you already understood, dear beginners, all components of exposure depend on each other, and you must take this into account in order to make the right choice of exposure in each photo.

As we have already said, earlier cameras did not have automatic modes and an abundance of settings. Photographers often worked either on a sunny day with good light, or indoors using a powerful flash. No sunset, no night lights, no moving objects. Then people worked with what they had.

Today, sophisticated cameras are freely available, each camera has a huge number of modes and different functions - accordingly, we, modern photographers, expect much more from both the equipment and our work. We want to have complete control over the process. And in order to successfully do this, we need not only to know what the word exposure means, but also to deal with the settings of its elements.

Diaphragm.

With this link, you can adjust the size of the hole that lets light through the lens to the matrix. A wide aperture can be used to capture stunning portraits with blurred backgrounds and low-light performance.

Excerpt

This parameter to a greater extent controls the temporal duration of the luminous flux duration. You will need the settings for this exposure element when shooting moving objects.

ISO

The third exposure element characterizes the matrix's ability to perceive luminous flux... The sensitivity setting is extremely important. High values ​​of this parameter can provoke the appearance of strong digital noise, which can act as an analogue of graininess.

Multiple exposure

Multiple exposure is a special technique in photography that involves exposing (“photographing”) the same frame several times.

This effect can be obtained using various graphic editors by superimposing several images on top of each other, or by repeatedly using pulsed light during one exposure. The first case undoubtedly expands your artistic possibilities, however, the creative satisfaction from the successful application of the second option is simply immeasurable. Double exposure photos look interesting.

The purpose of this article is to make people understand that the exposition, or as it is also called the expo-par, is SIMPLE!

When a beginner hears a word "Exposure" he is immediately frightened by it, and tries to bypass the 10th road everything that concerns him. There is no need to be afraid of exposure, it does not bite, on the contrary, if you handle it correctly, it will help you. Let's start with the fact that exposure is the amount of light that hits the sensor of your digital camera. Clear? If not, I'll say quite simply, exposure is a combination of "f /" number () and. Example: f / 4 and 1 / 25s, f / 6.3 and 1 / 10s, f / 8 and 1 / 6s - and different, but the exposure in all measurements is the same.

On film cameras, we had to measure the exposure with the help of an exposure meter, set the one we needed and at the same time see the result after the film was developed, and if the frame turned out to be overexposed or too dark, with gritting teeth, “well, he’s in ... got sick of it”, run to the same place and do it all over again. In the era digital technology everything is much simpler. All this is done in three steps:

- taking pictures, looking at the camera screen.

- if the frame is too dark, find the function on the fotik - "Exposure compensation"(on many cameras there is even a special button, denoted by "+/-") and we drive the exposure to "+", if it is very bright, then to "-".

- we look at the screen, evaluate our photo, if it doesn't suit us again, we return to step 2. And so on until we get an excellent card.

As you can see, everything is very simple. Next, you have to learn in what situation and when you need to adjust the exposure in order to do everything quickly and not constantly look at the screen. Most of my acquaintances do not know how to do this, and therefore spoil good shots... Why? It's very simple, they use the camera as a museum piece, they only get it for the holidays or when they have a drink. But here you need to aim. Yes, yes, exactly to aim, when you are just learning to shoot from an air gun at a target, you immediately fall into the top ten?

No, you need to feel the weapon, get used to it, make a hundred shots, and only then you will succeed. It's the same with the camera, you need to get used to it, and then you will be 100% in the top ten the first time!

Well, the last thing I would like to draw your attention to in this article is “ exposure metering "... Every digital camera has one. There are three types of exposure metering: matrix, spot, and center-weighted. I will not explain what each of them does, if you are interested, you can read it on Wikipedia. I will tell you the advice of a professional, I always use the matrix mode, and finish the rest with exposure compensation.

To make it clear, I show in specific photos:

Here I photographed in the shade, I did not need exposure correction, so it is 0.00 eV.

But in this place the sun was very strong, it stood almost overhead, so I had to adjust the exposure at -1.00 eV, otherwise I would have got an exposed face and half of the table.