Aperture

Refers to the size of the opening in the lens, letting in the light. The larger the hole the more light and the smaller the hole the less light. It is most commonly referred to as f/stop, and this is where it can get confusing! the lower the number eg f/1.8 the more light, the higher the number eg f/22 the lower the amount of light. Aperture is one of the 3 deciding factors which affect the overall exposure of the image. As well as affecting light, the lower the f/stop the less of the image that is in focus giving soft blurred backgrounds, and the higher f/stop gives images with most of the image in focus.

Highland Cattle, Mount Gambier

Lower f/stops are prefered for images where you want a blurry background, such as the image above or low light photography while higher f/stops suit landscapes and scenery such as the image below of The Blue Lake, in Mount Gambier South Australia.

Shutter Speed

Simply put is the speed the shutter opens and closes to capture the image.It is measured in seconds or fractions of a second for example 1/2000th of a second (fast) or 30 seconds (slow). The faster the shutter speed the less light that is let onto the camera sensor or film. Fast shutter speeds also freeze action and is suitable for sports photography, children, birds and animal photography. Slower shutter speeds allow more light to hit the sensor or film and also picks up movement in the image, slower shutter speed is perfect for landscape photography, low light photography and creative panning images. 

Mount Gambier basketball playerHigh flying basketball player dunking the ball in Mount Gambier, South Australia

This image of a basketball player in Mount Gambier dunking the ball is taken with a fast shutter freezing the action. While the image below at Port Macdonald, in South Australia was captured using a slow shutter speed which has blurred the fast moving water and clouds showing the movement in the image.

ISO

ISO is how sensitive the camera is to light, the lower the ISO the less sensitive it is to light. ISO 100-400 are best for daylight shooting, while low light situations call for higher ISO such as 1600-3200. Higher ISO introduces noise (grain) into the image which can have undesirable results.

White Balance 

Is the way the camera measures the temperature of light, which is visually represented at the colour of light. Light can be referred to as cool or warm and while our eyes adjust to the different temperatures of light cameras can not do so. Using the correct white balance will make the camera represent items which are white to our eye white in the image. There are a number of camera presents, it can also be set manually using a grey card or the camera can select automatically.

Long Exposure

The process of allowing the shutter to be open for a long time, therefore letting in a larger amount of light and creating points of interest in images such as silky smooth water, blurred clouds, smooth waterfalls, light painting and star trails. Long exposure photography requires a tripod or something that keeps the camera very steady as when the shutter is open for a long time the camera movement will make the image blurry.

Easter Sunset, Port MacdonnellBeautiful Sunset, Port Macdonnell

Golden/Blue Hour

The hour before sunrise (blue) and after sunset (golden). These times of the day have beautiful soft light and are some of the best times of the day to photograph landscape photographs. To take photos during these times of the day it is recommended that you have a tripod as there is not a large amount of light during these times so you will need to use slow shutter speeds.

Obelisk, RobeRotary Photographic Art Show Landscape Winner 2017

The above image of the Obelisk at Robe was taken at 4am in the middle of November, 1 hour before the sun appeared above the horizon, and the image below of the same location was taken at 9:45pm at the end of December about 1 hour after the sunset. 

Robe Sunset2015 Rotary art show merit winner

Thanks for taking the time to read, part 1 of Common Photography terms and keep your eye out for Part 2 Coming out soon!!

We offer photography mentoring, small group workshops and short sessions to teach you the practical skills mentions in this article. If you are interested in checking out more of our work head to our website. Please feel free to add comments and questions below!

Outdoor PortraitMount Gambier children portrait. Rules of composition 

While there are no real rules of Photography the rules of composition help viewers of your photography be lead into your images, and also make your images more interesting. While it is great to follow the rules it is also fine to break the rules! It does help to know the rules before you break them however!

1. RULE OF THIRDS

Imagine that the image is broken into 9 even squares, he aim is to place your subject into one of these thirds of the image. This image shows the subject on the left hand third of the image.

2. BALANCE

When you place your main subject off centre, it can make the image unbalanced, by adding a second less important subject you can balance the image. 

3. LEADING LINES

Use natural or man made lines to create interest in your images and to lead the image viewer into the image. Remember to use the lines to draw into the image and not lead the viewer out of the image.

4. SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS

Use interesting patterns and symmetry to make your images more interesting, using both natural and man made shapes and patterns.

5. VIEWPOINT 

Change the viewpoint from the usual. For example when shooting children get down low to be at their level, or from right above. Capture the unexpected to make the viewer think about the image. 

 6. FRAMING

Use natural and man made elements to frame your main subjects. Look for branches, trees, windows etc to frame your subjects.

Autumn Portrait, Mount Gambier Photographer

7. CROPPING AND BACKGROUND

Simplify the image by getting in close and removing the cluttered background. Use simple things such as wooden walls, tin, brick or a solid background to reduce distractions and focus on your subject.

Blue Eyes, Mount Gambier Portrait Photographer.Mount Gambier portrait photographer.  

8. BREAK THE RULES AND HAVE FUN!!!

Give these a go, combine different rules, use none of them and remember that photography is art and if you like your images that is all that is important in the end!!

If you would like to learn about these rules of composition in person in a hands on environment, I teach 1:1 photography mentoring lessons where you learn all about the in and outs of your camera, the rules of composition, lightroom, photoshop or any other skills that you may wish to learn about. Please get in contact if this is something you are interested in!