01 - Exposure - 01 - Exposure Triangle

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Learning about Exposure

The Exposure Triangle
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A Post By: Darren Rowse

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Bryan Peterson has written a book titled Understanding

Exposure which is a highly recommended read if youre
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wanting to venture out of the Auto mode on your digital
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camera and experiment with its manual settings.

In it Bryan illustrates the three main elements that need to
be considered when playing around with exposure by
calling them the exposure triangle.
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Each of the three aspects of the triangle relate to light and

how it enters and interacts with the camera.
The three elements are:

1. ISO the measure of a digital camera sensors
sensitivity
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2. Aperture the size of the opening in the lens when a
picture is taken

3. Shutter Speed the amount of time that the shutter
is open
It is at the intersection of these three elements that an
images exposure is worked out.
Most importantly a change in one of the elements will
impact the others. This means that you can never really
isolate just one of the elements alone but always need to
have the others in the back of your mind.
3 Metaphors for
understanding the digital
photography exposure
triangle:
Many people describe the relationship between ISO,
Aperture and Shutter Speed using different metaphors to
help us get our heads around it. Let me share three. A
quick word of warning first though like most metaphors
these are far from perfect and are just for illustrative
purposes:
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Imagine your
camera is like a
window with
shutters that open
and close.
Aperture is the size
of the window. If
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and Radial Filter
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its bigger more

light gets through and the room is brighter.
Shutter Speed is the amount of time that the shutters of
the window are open. The longer you leave them open the
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more that comes in.

Now imagine that youre inside the room and are wearing
sunglasses (hopefully this isnt too much of a stretch). Your
eyes become desensitized to the light that comes in (its
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like a low ISO).

There are a number of ways of increasing the amount of
light in the room (or at least how much it seems that there
How to Give Your

Macro
Photography a
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is. You could increase the time that the shutters are open
(decrease shutter speed), you could increase the size of
the window (increase aperture) or you could take off your
sunglasses (make the ISO larger).
Ok its not the perfect illustration but you get the idea.
Sunbaking
Another way that a
friend recently
shared with me is
to think about
digital camera
exposure as being
like getting a sun
tan.
Polls
What do you wish you
had a better
understanding of when
Now getting a suntan is something I always wanted

growing up but unfortunately being very fair skinned it
was something that I never really achieved. All I did was get
burnt when I went out into the sun. In a sense your skin
type is like an ISO rating. Some people are more sensitive
to the sun than others.
Shutter speed in this metaphor is like the length of time
you spend out in the sun. The longer you spend in the sun
the increased chances of you getting a tan (of course
spending too long in the sun can mean being over
exposed).
Aperture is like sunscreen which you apply to your skin.
Sunscreen blocks the sun at different rates depending
upon its strength. Apply a high strength sunscreen and
you decrease the amount of sunlight that gets through
and as a result even a person with highly sensitive skin can
spend more time in the sun (ie decrease the Aperture and
you can slow down shutter speed and/or decrease ISO).
you rst started

photography that you
know now?
Aperture
Shutter speed
ISO
The exposure triangle
Focus modes
Lenses and optics
Light
Using flash (on camera
of off-camera)
Post-processing and
workflow
White balance
Portraits or people
photography
File formats (JPG or
RAW)
Other
Vote
As Ive said neither metaphor is perfect but both illustrate

the interconnectedness of shutter speed, aperture and ISO
on your digital camera.
Update: A third metaphor that Ive heard used is the
Garden Hose (the width of the hose is aperture, the length
that the hose is left on is shutter speed and the pressure
of the water (the speed it gets through) is ISO.
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Bringing It All Together

Mastering the art of exposure is something that takes a lot
of practice. In many ways its a juggling act and even the
most experienced photographers experiment and tweak
their settings as they go. Keep in mind that changing each
element not only impacts the exposure of the image but
each one also has an impact upon other aspects of it (ie
changing aperture changes depth of field, changing ISO
changes the graininess of a shot and changing shutter
speed impacts how motion is captured).
The great thing about digital cameras is that they are the
ideal testing bed for learning about exposure. You can take
as many shots as you like at no cost and they not only
allow you to shoot in Auto mode and Manual mode but
also generally have semi-automatic modes like aperture
priority and shutter priority modes which allow you to
make decisions about one or two elements of the triangle
and let the camera handle the other elements.
A lot more can be said about each of the three elements in
the exposure triangle. Check out other relevant posts on
the topic at:
1. ISO
2. Aperture
3. Shutter Speed
Note: this post has been updated since its original posting
and republished for 2011.
Read more from our category

Darren Rowse is the editor and founder
of Digital Photography School and
SnapnDeals. He lives in Melbourne
Australia and is also the editor of the
ProBlogger Blog Tips. Follow him on
Instagram, on Twitter at @digitalPS or

on Google+.
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earl jules
2 years ago
I certainly do enjoy the articles here. . .

I certainly can appreciate the tweaks that take place during
a photography event...
***
My recommendation for a tweak would be the words it's and
its . . .
"it's" is the abbreviation of it is ... and "its" is the possessive
version ...
***
I understand the flak I'll get over this remark - I've heard
much of it before in different places all over the Internet...
(grin)
It's my curse . . . grammar and spelling errors just seem to
jump out at me... (sigh)
***
I fully understand the purpose of editing even the most
carefully taken image to make it just right for the viewing
public. . .
likewise, well-written, educational articles can always use a
bit of proofreading to bring out the best the author has to
offer... no?
***
Additionally, you indicated you would share three
metaphors; only two are present. . .? You owe us one. . .
(LOL)
25
Reply Share
Caren > earl jules
a year ago
I agree with your views of the articles found here but

the errors in your critique were more obvious than
the mistakes which bothered you in this article. You
can always count on grammatically correct people
to consistently use capital letters to begin new
sentences and very seldom use '' to replace
proper punctuation.
There are 3 metaphors, you missed one.
21
Reply Share
Amir > Caren
4 months ago
Garden Hose was the third one.

2
Reply Share
achelan door > Caren
8 months ago
Additionally, you indicated you would share

three metaphors; only two are present. . .?
You owe us one. . . (LOL)
- - -

- -
- - -
Reply Share
Jasper > earl jules
a year ago
Watch out for grammar police...

4
Reply Share
andrew parker > earl jules
a year ago
Become a sub-editor
4
Reply Share
Jan Neufelder > earl jules
2 years ago
Shoudn't it be "tweaks which take place during a

photographic event" and not "photogaphy event"?
1
Reply Share
Mrl > earl jules
4 months ago
For someone so obsessed with grammar and

spelling errors, you might also try to focus on
punctuation and the over use of ellipses...
Reply Share
Amir > earl jules
4 months ago
I think, while concentrating more on GRAMMAR, you

missed out the important stuff this article was
written for. 'Garden Hose' was the third metaphor. ;)
Reply Share
Latimer Alder > earl jules
7 months ago
Easy way to remember is 'his, hers, its' are the

possessives and don't have the apostrophe. I rarely
got it right until I discovered that.
Reply Share
Scott Kinnaird
a year ago
Regarding ASA metaphors, perhaps some of your readers

remember buying film at the drugstore. ASA 400 was "fast"
film, highly sensitive, could be burned up by the light quickly.
I used it at car races and outdoor sporting events to stop
the blur of motion. Since I didn't need much light to burn the
film I could use small aperture settings (the light hole) and
fast shutter speeds (1/1000 of a second, etc.). Slow film like
ASA 64 was hard to burn with the light. To help remember, I
thought of ASA 64 as thick and hard to burn and ASA 400
as thin and easy to burn. In low light I could have a big fat
light hole and leave the shutter open for 2 seconds or more.
The contrast in those low ASA photos was beautiful; rich
blacks, shimmery silver middle-tones and stark whites.
And, silky smooth unlike the graininess of the fast ASA 400.
Those cool river and creek photos where the water is
blurred while the rest of the details are sharp, are created
with "slow and low ASA" (a useful rhyme to remember).
Those great NFL color photos taken with 1000mm telephoto
lenses used ASA 400 and higher. And, of course if I was
taking standard, indoor, flash photos, I would grab ASA 100
film. As a kid, in my camera bag I would always carry 10
rolls of 100, 5 rolls of 400 and a couple of 64 for artsy stuff.
To the author's point about the triangle; it helped me to
forget about ASA after I knew what I was going to shoot,
then I could focus on aperture and shutter speed. If I'm
going to an outdoor rodeo with lots of light and action, I set
my ASA high, if I'm going into a dark woods with a tripod, I
set my ASA low. If I'm taking pictures of a birthday party in
my living room with a flash, I set my ASA in the middle.
If my rambling story helps someone remember what their
low, medium, and high ASA settings are used for, then I've
hopefully passed on some useful things I learned from
some great photography teachers. Thank you!
14
Reply Share
Allen > Scott Kinnaird
a year ago
Well, I grew up in the film age. Although your film

numbers are correct as far as fast and slow, the
speed of the film was its ASA number, not its ISO
number.
Reply Share
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F. Stop Fitzgerald > Allen
a year ago
They're the same thing, and film has been

labeled with both "ASA" and "ISO" for
decades.
1
Reply Share
Scott Kinnaird > Allen
a year ago
Good lord, I meant ASA. Jeez. Sorry. And,

thank you for correcting my mistake.
Reply Share
Ingred Shine > Scott Kinnaird
2 months ago
ISO: International Standards

Organization
ASA: American Standards
Association
DIN: Irrelevant

Jan Neufelder
Reply Share
2 years ago
Also Earl.... the third metaphor is the Garden Hose

7
JoeSaab
Reply Share
8 months ago
this is a photoshoot from JoeSaab
Mario
Reply Share
10 months ago
The exposure triangle explained for a six year old.

Everything you need to know withing 4 minutes
Welcome to the exposure pie:
Reply Share
Debi Hundley
a year ago
I've read a lot of great tutorials, but your metaphors are what
finally made everything click (no pun intended). Thank you!
6
Reply Share
Iam Marshall > Debi Hundley
a year ago
Yea yea!

Alex Rhone
Reply Share
5 months ago
That nipple is now engrained into my brain! Other than that,

great article! :-)
5
Reply Share
WW > Alex Rhone
2 months ago
hhaha same here

1
Gogs
Reply Share
a year ago
Maybe I'm a square: but I can't avoid another angle to this

triangle.
Consider the quality and intensity of the ambient light.
Shade, full sun, morning, evening, overhead, oblique and so
on. Time enters the equation too: just wait a minute for the
sun to go behind a cloud.
Perhaps it is a throwback to my childhood in the far North,
when the Brownie Box Camera could only be used on a
sunny day.
For me, a triangle is only part of the story.
For me, a triangle is only part of the story.

4
America
Reply Share
4 months ago
For the window metaphor, could a curtain on the window be

considered the low ISO as well? I'm trying to find a way to
make this easier for me to remember.
1
Reply Share
Frank Robert Coleman III > America
2 months ago
I liked the curtain metaphor better than the

sunglasses

ribs
Reply Share
4 months ago
Hi I am new to this photography school and learning heaps.

I have just purchased a Cannon EOS 1200D Rebel T5
DSLR , it has an 18-55mm lens> I would like to purchase a
Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4 - 5.6 DI LD zoom lens with
macro. I'm wondering will this fit my camera and can I use
the lens on close up and landscape without having to
interchange the lens
1
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Murphy Campbell
8 months ago
I needed a really basic explanation and I got it. Loved it,

thanks!
1
bigdeli
Reply Share
8 months ago
I love this site. Thank you for your nice site. Contents of this
site are very helpful.Thank you for the useful content
- -
1
Reply Share
currency212
a year ago
The best metaphor I heard is with a faucet/hose filling up a

*bucket* with water. You've neglected the bucket! The size
of the opening of the faucet represents the aperture. The
length of time the water flows represents how long the
shutter is open. The size of the bucket represents ISO.
Higher ISO would be represented by smaller buckets.
In this version, it's available light that is represented by
In this version, it's available light that is represented by

water pressure. High water pressure represents sunlight,
low water pressure represents dim indoor lighting.
A lot of the metaphors seem to neglect the available light
variable which you *do* have control over (use flash, shoot
scene different time of day, use a reflector, shoot at a
different angle, use different lighting, open a window), that's
why I like this one the best.
We could extend the metaphor even further---- the % that
the bucket is filled could represent exposure compensation
values with 0 being a bucket half filled (or half empty
depending on your perspective) ;). Completely empty
bucket would be a photo that is completely underexposed
(all black). and a bucket brimming to the top would
represent a completely overexposed shot (all white).
1
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biklllllly boob
a month ago
its wierd
Reply Share
biklllllly boob > biklllllly boob
a month ago
your weird lol

zaheer me
Reply Share
2 months ago
All this is useful for a professional who wants his work felt.
But for majority of camera buffs, the auto modes have
ample opportunities to point and shoot perfectly.
Reply Share
parsa doorcom
2 months ago
<img class="alignnone"
src="https://a.disquscdn.com/upload..." alt="" width="128"
height="106"/>
Hi dear , thanks for sharing
.

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. 2

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Guest
Reply Share
2 months ago
http://ipaco-er.com/%D8%B3%D9%...
Reply Share
Doorsan
4 months ago
Definitely my thing... I always wanted to learn how to work

better with the Shutter. Thanks amigo! :)
-Doorsan
Reply Share
Nancy E. Finn
4 months ago
Nice article but I things from beginners corner must need a

course of photography if anyone want to be a good
photographer and learn more and more like as online
schooling, software using etc.This is on of learning site
http://619.be/lpeblc
Reply Share
PondViewer
5 months ago
ISO is typically taught by making comparisons to film. While

that might make it easier to explain, it does a disservice with
regard to what ISO in digital truly is. Various films had
inherently different sensitivities to light, so it would have
been a factor in exposure; however, a specific digital sensor
has one - and only one - sensitivity to light. This property of
a sensor cannot be modified, and certainly ISO does

nothing to change that. (No setting whatsoever changes a
sensor's sensitivity to light.) Rather, ISO indicates an
amount of post-capture analog amplification that takes
place. The sensor has already done its job before this
amplification, i.e. ISO level, is applied.
We do a disservice when we include ISO in the so-called
Exposure Triangle. ISO in and of itself does nothing to alter
exposure. Three factors determining exposure are scene
luminance level, shutter speed and aperture. Exposure has
already taken place before analog amplification, i.e. ISO
level, occurs. Increasing ISO increases the brightness level
of an image through this amplification process.
I certainly respect Bryan Peterson, but it is completely
wrong to state that ISO is "the measure of a digital camera
sensors sensitivity to light." Rather, it is the amount of postcapture analog amplification that is applied.

Wallen
Reply Share
5 months ago
If you think of light as water, The best metaphor is a hose

filling a pail that has a hole. Hose size is your Aperture,
Time to fill is your Shutter speed and the size of the hole in
the bottom of the pail is your ISO. It determines how fast the
water will empty the pail. Low ISO is a big hole, it does not
retain water while a Hi ISO is a smaller hole therefore
retains more water. At the moment of capture, the pail
should be full (correct exposure).
if the tap is small (aperture is small) it will take a long
time(long shutter speed) to fill up the pail, assuming that the
hole in the pail is small(hi-ISO - hi-retention).
with the same setting as above, if you fill for a short time
(fast shutter speed) the pail will not be full or under
exposed.
On the other hand, If the hose is big(think fireman's
hose)big aperture, it needs only a very short time(very fast
shutter speed) to fill up the pail, even when the ISO is
small(big hole-small retention). In such case if the ISO is
high(hi retention) or the time of filling is long(long exposure)
then the bucket will over flow- over exposed on capture.
There is a large sweet spot where the various combination
of the 3 variables can create a full pail(correct exposure).
Out of focus is like a hose with a shower head. It sprays all

over the place, so you can not draw a fine line with it. A
motion blur would be like shaking the pail so the
water(image) has a movement element in it.
A fast lens is like a hose on steroids. Water in very high
pressure. so you can get away with small apertures,
because they are brighter, or in case of our water analogy, it
flows faster so fills the bucket faster even if using a small
hose.
Reply Share
Deepak K Tomar
5 months ago
loved it... just started photography and wanna learn about it

more & more :).
Thanks
Reply Share
Some Older Comments
rose
August 3, 2013 01:45 pm
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July 24,
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July 4,
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May 19, 2013 01:31 pm
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April 16, 2013 09:19 pm
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I got the DSLR camera and was struggling
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awaiting for more posts like this from you :)
and more useful tips for people like me..
Keep up the good work.
Farwa
March 24, 2013 09:10 pm
Thanks a lot. That was very helpful and very

easy to understand.
photography
March 21, 2013 05:56 pm
May I simply just say what a comfort to find

someone
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You definitely understand how to bring a
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A lot more people really need to read this
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Les White
February 27, 2013 02:31 am
Petersen's book is one of the most

important photography books I have read-his explanation of principles of exposure
combined with his photos and camera
settings is excellent (he also has a great
book on composition!) Your conclusion
about bringing it all together gets it right in
terms of constantly juggling three moving
pieces of ISO, aperture and shutter speed
as i have found out doing lots of low light
sunset/sunrise photography
Andy
February 13, 2013 02:30 am
Thanks for posting Darren, as a budding

photographer my knowledge of exposure is
now much clearer. The use of metaphors
really helped especially the sunbaking
analogy. I do agree with what Marilyn said
as well because without understanding the
camera fundamentals then the photos you
take will not have best exposure.
Carolyn shaw
February 11, 2013 06:49 pm
Had A Fujifilm Fine pix HS30exr for

Christmas as wanted to start taking and
learning about better photos
I couldn't understand the technology re: F
numbers Shutter speed,, iOS, aargh. But
Having found this site yesterday it all
became much clearer, loved the window
metaphor! feel I can now move on
understanding more things can't wait for
the next tips THANKYOU Carolyn
Rhonda
January 26, 2013 12:14 am
This may sound stupid. But, I am a

beginner, and although I understand the
concept of each element individually. I
cannot wrap my mind around bringing all
three together. I have been using manual
for all my shots, and use my exposure
compensation meter, I check
WB.....everything. They still are not coming
out to my satisfaction.
Tung
December 29, 2012 09:24 am
Think harder, nuf. If you can!
nuf
December 26, 2012 07:01 am
terrible "explanation"
Tung
December 16, 2012 08:24 am
I have another metaphor for exposure:

painting on a wall (amount of paint on the
wall is amount of light absorbed by the
camera sensor)
- Aperture: the size of the brush, bigger
brush allows you to put more paint on the

wall.
- Shutter speed: longer you paint, more
paint you put on the wall
- ISO: how sensitive the wall is to the paint,
smoother wall absorbs less paint, rough
wall absorbs more paint. High ISO means
the wall is rougher (grainier).
This metaphor can also help explain DOF:
smaller brush (smaller aperture) allows you
to paint more crevices, dents on the wall,
meaning more DOF.
Carol
November 9, 2012 01:53 am
With the exposure triangle and the other

examples, now I can fully understand the
differences.
Ebram
October 28, 2012 03:38 pm
Thanks for the Info, now i understand my

note camera options, let's hope that the
photos gets better :D
Jada
October 3, 2012 03:22 am
My brother recommended I might like this

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This post actually made my day. You cann't
imagine simply how much time I had spent
for this info! Thanks!
Lucie
September 23, 2012 05:47 am
What's up to all, the contents existing at

this web page are truly amazing for people
experience, well, keep up the good work
fellows.
Ashley D'souza
August 26, 2012 06:03 am
Hi I've just started with photography, so

please bare with me. I did not understand
the part where you say
'decrease the Aperture and you can slow
down shutter speed and/or decrease ISO'
If you are decreasing the aperture less light
is coming in, so for the required light to
come in we slow down the shutter speed is
fine. But about the ISO aren't we supposed
to increase the ISO for the image to
become more bright. The reason I have this
doubt is because you use 'and / or'. If it is
'and' I get it because you can decrease the

shutter speed to such an extent that we
can decrease the ISO to get the desired
photo. But if you say 'or' then on
decreasing the aperture you will have to
increase the ISO.
Onelifethislife
August 4, 2012 10:39 pm
This a great article. The best metaphor was

the window. It took me a while understand
the relationships between the three.
Thanks!!!
retech son
May 23, 2012 11:56 pm
I am a beginner in photography and

already bought a camera. I bought my first
SLR though I dont have first hand
knowledge about photography. All I know is
point and shot.But still it doesnt stop me
from purchasing because I feel I need one
for my first hobby. And that is blogging
about the sport I love. It is basketball and
boxing.
I a member of a local basketball club in our
place and aside frm playing I am also cover
and blogging about the team and the club.
So I badly needed a camera to capture our
every game and tell stories about it.

I took my first shot during one of our gam...
whooaaahh.. shooting while exploring the
camera in actual event is disgusting...
blured.. and dark images is all Ive got. :)
I search in google the keyword
Buddy
May 10, 2012 11:13 pm
The window analogy is brilliant!
Craftwhack
April 7, 2012 06:27 am
I read your Pro blogger blog, but keep

forgetting you have this one- I've been
unsuccessfully searching for a clear
explanation on the mighty triangle of
photography and this one explanation
finally helped it sink in (window analogy. I'm
team window.) Thanks!
Rico Vollstedt
March 21, 2012 03:16 am
Oh my goodness! a tremendous article

dude. Thanks However I'm experiencing
difficulty with ur rss . Dont know why

Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone
getting similar rss problem? Anyone who is
aware of kindly respond. Thnkx
Michelle Wagoner
March 13, 2012 04:55 pm
i loved the article. Thank you. I just taught a

Photography Merit badge class and used a
cooking metaphor for them to use. If ok, i
will include this one the next time i teach it.
Juan fez head editor
February 20, 2012
11:49 pm
I just got back into photography after 14

years away from it. I have 3 photographers
trying to cover all the functions of our
Shriner Center and I decided to get a
camera to help them out because we were
missing a lot of photo ops during the year
due to lack of coverage. I got my dslr last
week and shot almost 20 gigs this last
weekend at a 3 day special function in our
Shriner Center. Your articles have made my
return behind the camera a lot easier by
refreshing my memory with the skills I had
not used in way too many years. I may even
be able to use some of my pictures in our
April issue of our magazine. Thanks for reopening my mind and helping me feel
comfortable behind the lens again.
John
February 12, 2012 05:22 am
.... I`ll have a pint of what ` Peatantics ` (

Jan 27th 2012 ) has ben drinking.
Pam
January 31, 2012 05:53 pm
i love the example with the window it really

help me a lot to actually understand the
job of each one of them.... thanks..
peatantics
January 27, 2012 02:19 pm
Size of the chicken is the ISO/ASA or the

sensitivity.
Ha HUM, metaphor where would we bee
without one?
Time it is cooked for is that shutter speeds
property.
Windows, Sunbaker and Hoses what about
the oven?
Temperature is aperture setting in

figurative actuality.
Double or half the weight family hungry,
starving cook.
Lable is the f chook system table by chooka-maticians?
Double of half the time of cooking don't
burn our chook.
Have you never seen a three legged crook
old Manxians?
Double or half of the temperature better
take another look.
In principle we have established a triplet as
one superb.
For the f chook principle forms every oven
of possibilities
Cross over to chook cooking endeavors
road of suburb.
Double or half the money as you bet on
these probabilities.
Erin
January 27, 2012 08:03 am
I loved this article. A great metaphor for

how they all interact
John
January 26, 2012 08:52 pm
Personally,, I think the article is great, and
the triangle Metaphors even better.

Obviously , Michael ( May 18th 2010 ) knows
everything there is to know about
everything, and is too critical.
For all us beginners who dont know, then i
think the Metaphors do the job and explain
things in OUR launguage.
The clue is in the title ..... " LEARNING about
exposure "
Thanks Darren.
Donna
January 15, 2012 05:52 am
Love learning from your site. Thanks
White Petal Wedding Photography

January 11, 2012 05:18 am
What a great little article, hadn't thought of

it in this triangular fashion before, but that
simple depiction will stick in my mind.
Thanks.
Gerty
January 11, 2012 12:22 am
Thanks for the tips! So glad it's explained

this way. I'm sure I am not the only visual
(and clueless!) learner to ever own a dslr.
It's given me the confidence to step out my
comfy auto zone and explore a bit.
Lisa
December 23, 2011 10:56 am
Ok I still love this. It definitely made sense

for me. Too many people are over
complicating it. haha. But that being said,
Thank you again, and all of you for your
feedback. Every bit counts!
Jamz
December 22, 2011 07:07 am
Oh yeah and if you are a strobist, that

triangle becomes a square because you
have to also take into account the amount
of light from your strobe and the "inverse
square law" that can affect the lighting in
your images.
Erik Kerstenbeck
December 19, 2011 04:46
am
Hi
Interesting article indeed - thanks for
sharing! I am old school, so when I began
there were no In Camera meters, in fact I
used The Sunny 16 Rule for my totally
Manual Nikon (Yes, dedicated Nikon user).
Then I borrowed my Dad's hand held Light
Meter and really learned what all this stuff
means. I would suggest to find someone
with a handheld "antique" and try seeing
what it sees and study the relationship
between shutter, aperture and ISO.
Then go to a beach like this one and just
have fun shooting and experimenting!
http://kerstenbeckphotoart.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/honoluabay-part-ii/
Jeffrey Kaplan
December 18, 2011 06:01 am
I think this article is a good start, but it

doesn't say WHY you would want to care
about these settings. Without the WHY,
who would really care about the what? A
factor I was very careful to illustrate when I
gave a talk about this subject (which I called
the "Exposure Tripod", likening the three
"legs" of the exposure to the device used to
hold a camera hands-free) to my camera
club. And that why being primarily the
ability to control focal and motion blur.
raghavendra
December 18, 2011 03:12 am
This is a must know article for all

photographers
http://raghavendramobilephotography.blogspot.com/
Trevon
December 18, 2011 02:42 am
Alan, it's technically not for free.

Ha makes over 20,000$ a month in ad
traffic because people look at his articles
with ads.
Barry E.Warren
December 18, 2011 02:13
am
This was Great!!! loved how the triangle was

explained with metaphors.
Average Joe
December 18, 2011 01:54 am
I've recently been trying to test all of these

things out myself, but this article was so
much more helpful than me trying to wrap
my mind around it alone. Much
appreciated. Thanks Darren!
Jay
December 10, 2011 09:45 pm
I had been always confused with exposure

attributes. This article really helps
understanding it. Specially, the shutter
explanation confirmed my assumption on
motion.
Sam
December 6, 2011 06:50 am
Thanks for these metaphors... The window

one really helped me. I've been in a
photography class and the way these were
explained to me completely confused me.
This makes much more sense :)
John Afravi
November 16, 2011 04:44 am
A "quadrangle? Really? C'mon guys. It's
called a SQUARE or even a RECTANGLE if

you want. And the angle of it has nothing to
do with this matter. You're pointing out 4
points in a service aspect.
But all in all, it's wrong. Filters and other
accessories have nothing to do with the
exposure triangle. That's a whole other
thing in itself....
Photographers......always over analyzing. :P
Marco Rossi
September 28, 2011 10:29 pm
Thank you for your interesting tutorial!
Othmane Bekkari
September 23, 2011
12:53 am
Very interesting article, and the analogies

are very illustrative.
Talking about illustrations, I have included
in my article on the exposure triangle an
illustration which, to my belief, is quite
representative of the exposure triangle, as
it dos not only use the fact that there are
three variables, but it also illustrates the
interactions of the three: as you pull one of
the corners of the triangle away from the
center, you are automatically pulling one or
both of the variables closer to the center.
What do you think?
Alan
Hi,
Excellent article, great analogy, cutting the
'techno-speak' down to 'plain-speak' i like it,
the window one is the best, and for those
that are so picky about the sunglasses
thing making it a quadrangle, why don't
you do an article yourself if you're that
good. Darren is good enough to research,
compile and share these articles - for free which takes up his valuable time, he does
this to help us 'amateurs' better our game,
we should all be grateful for his
selflessness. Thank you Darren, looking
forward to the other installments in the
fascinating world of photography!
ciao4niao
Alan
bob sagget
Hi Darren Ive always used the water/hose

analogy with my students, but the ISO isnt
the water pressure its the container
youre filling. EG a low ISO is a tub, and a
high ISO is a teacup. I would tell my

students that each frame was a container
that needed a certain amount of light
(water) to fill it and give the correct
exposure. The aperture is how far you turn
the tap on, the shutter speed is how long
its on for, and the water pressure equates
to the intensity of the light on that
particular day (sunny day at midday equals
a high water pressure whereas foggy
morning, early in winter equals a very low
water pressure).
Read more: http://www.digitalphotography-school.com/learningexposure-in-digitalphotography#ixzz1XlZlLBiu
jo newton
August 29, 2011 03:43 pm
Hi Darren - I've always used the water/hose

analogy with my students, but the ISO isn't
the water pressure - it's the container
you're filling. EG a low ISO is a tub, and a
high ISO is a teacup. I would tell my
students that each frame was a container
that needed a certain amount of light
(water) to fill it and give the 'correct'
exposure. The aperture is how far you turn
the tap on, the shutter speed is how long
it's on for, and the water pressure equates
to the intensity of the light on that
particular day (sunny day at midday equals
a high water pressure whereas foggy
morning, early in winter equals a very low

water pressure).
P.Simon
August 22, 2011 02:30 pm
I do like the window metaphor.But what

Marilyn says makes sense-provide the
fundamentals of how the camera
works,then you should have the DESIRE TO
LEARN
Marilyn Armstrong
August 20, 2011 03:37
pm
I am the typo queen.
Marilyn Armstrong
August 20, 2011 03:36
pm
The metaphor thing doesn't work for me. I

would rather explains the fundamentals of
how a camera works. Maybe it's all the
decades of technical writing. Plus the years
of teaching technical writing. But the
threeste basics that control the use and
collection of light so that they can combine

into an image. If I use any analogy, it's that I
still think of ISO as film speed. My age is
showing.
When I was starting out, a friend taught me
the basics by taking an old brownie camera
apart and showing me the pieces, what
they did and how they worked. After that,
the rest was trying out combinations and
seeing what worked.
Although many things have changed -there are gazillions of ways to tweak all the
permutations of each element of
photography -- the basics are the same.
Ultimately you need to understand those
basics or you'll never get the rest. Whether
or not you've got "an eye" is talent. God
dispenses that. The rest is information and
mechanics. Everyone can understand it if
given clear information ... and the really
critical element, a desire to learn.
mlaksv
August 3, 2011 01:36 am
Very good explanation!. Gave a picture easy

to understand and can relate with. Till now
I read many blogs and articles and got
confused with all the technical jargon.
Ashley
July 1, 2011 04:37 am
I like the window metaphor. It makes total

sense and I can wrap my head around the
terms.
Kapil Paliwal
June 8, 2011 01:18 am
Analogies are always irritating! An excellent

graphic in itself is the triangle which
explains best.
Carlos Orozco
June 8, 2011 12:43 am
The window example did the trick.

However, when it's time to take the shot, I
always get confused about what to do first;
do I take off my glasses, or call for a
carpenter to build me a bigger window, or
keep the windows open for longer periods
of time? By the time I do one of the three,
I've already missed my shot!
eu
June 4, 2011 05:35 pm
hmm, I just can`t seem to diffrentiate ISO

and aperture but The Window Metaphor
helped me somehow, how do i understand
these two elements? :) should I read also
the manual of my camera?
Virginia
May 26, 2011 05:48 am
I am so glad that I found your site. I bought

a Panasonic LX5 and have wanting to
relearn the basics and go on to all the
things i can do with my new camera. I will
also recommend this site to the beginners
I'm hanging around right now.
Thanks,
Virginia
ivesliou
May 19, 2011 02:24 am
Thank you so much! This is a great tips and

might be useful for creating nice
photography..
Deen
May 12, 2011 01:17 am
Thank you Darren, this is a very informative

and kinda able to understand article.
Cheers, Deen
nancy2jj
April 24, 2011 04:28 am
Big thanks to Darren. As a newcomer to

photography, I very much appreciate the
tips posted on the website... :)
Gokkasten
April 21, 2011 01:16 am
Attractive section of content. I just

stumbled upon your web site and in
accession capital to say that I acquire in
fact loved account your blog posts. Any way
I will be subscribing for your augment and
even I success you get right of entry to
persistently quickly.
genevieve
April 17, 2011 10:28 am
i've always taken pictures in my head, could

see them apart, and of their own, now im
trying to make those scenes appear with
my camera, a mental picture i can

materialize in the physical realm scenes
from my mind's eye-i'm hoping this sinks
in... asap, now that im becoming aware of
the goldmine that my camera really is
Zubairu
April 14, 2011 03:46 am
Thankyou so much i bought a Nex-5DB last

week and started checking this website
everyday to learn new stuff!
Luciano Alexandre
March 30, 2011 07:31
am
I loved the analogy of the window! I'm a

beginner and I'm learning just as a hobby
because I am fascinated by the art of
photography. Thank you Darren!
Nickie
March 22, 2011 11:10 am
I am so confused. I have taken lots of

pictures by using just my eyes and not
paying attention to the ISO settings etc.
Please help. [
img]http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?
fbid=1719987513361&set=a.1719923831769.96157.1048473369&theater[/img]
fajar
February 26, 2011 07:21 am
very nice article

thanks
raf
February 2, 2011 09:31 am
Thanks so much for the brilliant Window

Analogy! made things so much easier to
understand.
Cheers
f-stop
January 27, 2011 03:24 am
Regarding the filter analogy. Though you're

right about the fact that a filter can effect
the exposure numbers, that does'nt factor
into the basic exposure triangle theory
because you are talking about an accessory
as opposed to the basic camera and how it
calculates exposure as well as how you
interpolate that information. There are

several add ons that will effect exposure.
Extension tubes and bellows for example. I
understand that these all ultimately effect
the final exposure, but they are not part of
the basic exposure calculation that is done
for every photograph taken whether these
type of variable enter into the equation or
not.
Karen
January 23, 2011 07:20 am
Loved the window example!
Lisa Irish
January 18, 2011 01:58 am
I love the window metaphor. I just don't get

a lot of this stuff, and this is the one time I
GOT IT Thanks so much
Silvia
January 13, 2011 03:25 am
i have a question
what settings should i put my camera if i
am taking pictures of someone at a club dj
ing
i have a canon rebel 500D T1i
i find it so hard to captue great images
Jenny
December 29, 2010 05:29 am
The Jeromy Jacobs cheat sheet was just

what I needed. I understand aperture, iso
and shutter speed but not so much how
they interact with each other. It's a great
little tool which I've printed off and will
laminate just like he did. Also it is useful for
the old SLR photographer, because then
one never went to an iso of say 3200 and I
always got large and small aperture mixed
up but it's all there.
Russell
December 4, 2010 03:19 pm
great post. Really explains the initial and

basic components of photography well.
Very informative.
Roderick De Mesa
November 28, 2010
12:57 am
Still need a lot of reading to do and

practice... just new to this hobby, hope i will
like it all the way......
thanks for the help.....
Amit R
November 21, 2010 02:53 am
The window metaphor is superb !
Kelley Zane
November 10, 2010 01:31 am
I newish to photograpy but this website has

helped a lot in the process of starting my
career.
Shabbir Rozi
November 2, 2010 09:36 pm
As a beginner of digital photography. for

the 1st time I understood about Exposure ,(
ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. thanks
for DPS.
scottyv
October 29, 2010 03:30 pm
This is a great article! Sometimes when I'm

out in the field, I tend to overthink things
and get confused. I used these metaphores
to get over that. Thanks for the great tips
DPS!
Miss Britt
October 21, 2010 10:21 pm
I read the garden hose metaphor recently

and that was the one that FINALLY stuck
with me and helped me to remember
whether or not I want my FStop to be big or
small to achieve a certain effect.
Trimm
October 13, 2010 07:39 am
Great analogy, i was about to give up and

only use manual!!!!!! Thank you so very
much.
Leslie-Ann
October 11, 2010 10:23 pm
I love this website! I teach young students

(middle school) about photography. This
metaphor really helps them understand
what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are
and how they relate. Thank you!`
JJ Konstantin
October 10, 2010 04:27 pm
The window analogy was very helpful. I still

need to play around with the settings and
this will definitely help me!
Kevlar
Thanks!! Great article!

Really helped me understand what
exposure means..
Another way to experiment what exposure
is, is to set the mode to "auto" then see
what settings it gives you.. compare this to
the manual settings that you would have
chosen..
SUILCHA
that window example was quite good to

understand pals
netflicks trial
I found your tutorial on exposure for

beginners very interesting and very
informative. It was easy to understand and
relate to.
anonimum
The example of the window was very

helpful for me and inspired me to take a
really beautiful picture
anonimam
The person who thought the example of

the window, was very intelligent, it was the
most helpful for me
Tina Harris
I have been trying to master the art of

product photography for a while now an
have issues with taking pictures of
engraved items made from silver. I have
found this task particularly difficult. I have
been using a light box for a while with
limited results but have read parts of Bryan
Petersons book which has really helped
since. I have now taken some good photos
for a personalised gifts website Keep It
Personal Gifts and have more work off the
back of it.
Very good article.
Food Lover
You know in my cam I have a special mode

to change them myself and I've never
thought about it, thanks so much for the
info.
Lyn Drathring
August 23, 2010 02:35 am
I have heard the window metaphor before,
however 'seeing' the metaphor with the

shuttered window example makes it come
together much better for me. Thank you
for the great article. Lyn
Anoop
August 12, 2010 04:32 pm
Bought a Nikon D90 recently and

experimenting with it. I am new to
photography so this article is quite helpful
though the metaphors are quite confusing
on first read.
ace
August 6, 2010 08:45 am
hello darren rowse!

you're my angel...thanks for this work you
are doing...i hope to get better pictures
now that i have read something that gave
me more knowledge...it gives us beginners
more encouragement to try
it...photography lesson is expensive here,
it's good i found your site before i begin
any picture taking...God bless you on the
work you do...God speed...have a blessed
evening/morning...
Ed Normile
August 5, 2010 02:39 am
Darren, I feel I can address you this way as I

have come to feel an almost familial
relationship now that I have haunted this
site so long, I must admit analogies tend to
confuse me. Using the window analogy,
using windex on the window would be the
same as cleaning the sensor, or would that
be like opening the aperture? Just joking
this was, as usual, a very enlightening
article. Keep up the good work.
ed
Lova
August 5, 2010 12:02 am
Nice article, normally if i shoot under the

sun i always use flash to light my subject.
Chuck Nardo
August 3, 2010 12:14 am
DPS...
Would like to know if you can reformat your
tips with a "Printer Friendly" option so we
can downlaod text and images only without
all of the stuff around it and whatever IE
decides we need to see also.
Arie Gez
July 29, 2010 05:07 pm
Hi Darren.
I would like to thank you about your simply
explanation to subjects off the ISO,
Aperture and Shutter Speed.
now I know more about this three...
I would like to leren more about to use
camera with flash (ext. flash). If you can
send me by Email some subject matter I
would thank you.
Thanks
Arie.
Treeface
July 21, 2010 02:43 pm
I love this website. I know the fundamentals

of exposure quite well, but was not
pratically impressed with these metaphors
lol. Strike one for an otherwise grand
slamming website
cheap louis vuitton handbags
July 18,
2010 09:00 pm
I found your tutorial on exposure for

relate to.
Thank you and I look forward to more
tutorials from this site.
Read more: http://digital-photographyschool.com/learning-exposure-in-digitalphotography#ixzz0u1xtGw11
Hutch
July 13, 2010 11:15 am
I like the window example but instead of

glasses. Use window tint. Change the tint
value (iso) more or less light can be sensed
inside the room.
Kevin
July 6, 2010 12:25 am
The exposure triangle illustrates the

camera's three internal mechanisms of
controlling exposure. Considering other
'fourth' factors, such as light or filters, is a
separate topic.
i agree with several posters that an analogy
should be used to clarify a concept, the
ones used here are so-so.
Ricardo Faria Paulino
July 2, 2010 12:13
am
One good analogy to explain ISO is to

compare the ISO to the Volume in a Hifi
system.The only difference being that ISO is
related to eyesight and Volume to earing. If
you crank up the volume in a stereo system
you'll be able to hear better if taken too
high you will start getting distortion. The
same with the ISO the higher you put it
you'll be able to see better but if taken too
high you'll get noise. This analogy only
serves to explain what ISO is and how it
works.
Hope it helps
Regards
Ricardo
[eimg
url='http://www.ricardofariapaulino.com/storage/36936_405593727991_539162991_4510820_
title='36936_405593727991_539162991_4510820_969298_n.jpg']
[eimg
title='36936_405593727991_539162991_4510820_969298_n.jpg']
Ricardo Faria Paulino

am
July 2, 2010 12:11
One good analogy to explain ISO is to

compare the ISO to the Volume in a Hifi
system.The only difference being that ISO is
related to eyesight and Volume to earing. If
you crank up the volume in a stereo system
you'll be able to hear better if taken too
high you will start getting distortion. The
same with the ISO the higher you put it
you'll be able to see better but if taken too
high you'll get noise. This analogy only
serves to explain what ISO is and how it
works.
Hope it helps
Regards
Ricardo
[eimg
title='36936_405593727991_539162991_4510820_969298_n.jpg']
Trish
June 30, 2010 07:16 am
Oh I just so struggle with all this, thank you

for the window shutter explanation my
brain is finally letting something in.
Thankyou Trish
sam
June 27, 2010 09:12 am
I am very very much new to this , I just got a

gift(Nikon D90) from my wife. I want to
learn as much as I can thru forums and
some readings and reviews. some
terminologies are very foreign to me. I
hope somebody can walk me thru this.
Thank God for this site that it has a page
for brginners.
monica
June 25, 2010 09:24 am
The metaphor was beyond helpful! Thanks!
Sajith
June 24, 2010 05:34 pm
Great Article...Thanks alot Darren!...
Robin
June 23, 2010 04:16 am
Thanks so much for this article. Your

analogies truly help to give me an
understanding of the three elements and
how they work together.
Rhalmi Mohammed
June 21, 2010 10:08
am
Great article! I've never known about those

three elements of expousre. Thank you!!!
turtlena
May 21, 2010 12:56 pm
I think with the window metaphor the ISO is

more like the screen you would have on a
window which controls all the light coming
through the window, and the sunglasses
would be more like a filter (which someone
also mentioned below)
fer
May 18, 2010 03:19 pm
excellent !!!
Michael
May 18, 2010 02:06 am
"Ok its not the perfect illustration but

you get the idea."
Why use any metaphor that is not 100
appropriate and helps to clarify the points
being made? If you're going to do that, then
why not just put the time into writing
simple, super clear language to explain
what's going on? The reader can then fill in
the cracks with their own metaphor.
I found all these less than perfect
metaphors add more noise to what's
already a confusing topic,. They were a lazy
way around the best approach which is to
explain and show what you're trying to
communicate in clear and simple terms (I
know that's not easy, but isn't that really
what you're trying to do?).
Cath
May 17, 2010 10:57 pm
It's always good to read another way of

thinking about this relationship - everyone
conceptualizes these things differently, so
it's good to have lots of ways of describing
it.
I photograph a lot of indoor ferrets and
underwater spearfishing - i.e. action shots
in low light, so I am constantly battling ISO
speed vs. shutter speed.
Here's a rare shot where I was able to
capture my ferret in natural light with a
relatively low ISO (200), and hand held:
f/5.6
exposure time: 1/5 sec.

focal length 55mm (Canon Rebel XSi, kit
lens)[eimg url='http://ferretexpert.info/wpcontent/uploads/2010/01/ferret-paperbin.jpg' title='ferret-paper-bin.jpg']
Christine
May 14, 2010 07:13 pm
I am sooooo grateful for this site!! It is

amazing how easy it is to understand it all
when things are explained the way they are
here! The penny just drops!!! Thank you.
Alex Suarez
May 10, 2010 01:56 am
@bob bevan smith: We think very much

alike. I've made much the same analogy at
http://alexarsuez.com/exposure except
that I equate the ISO to the size of the
container, rather than the water pressure.
Like a container, the ISO determines the
quantity of light needed to get a proper
exposure. If you think of filling a container
with water (Light) to be a correct exposure,
then changing the size of the container
would be the equivalent of changing the
ISO. A shot glass would be a high ISO
because it takes very little water (light) to fill
it up. By comparison, a swimming pool
would be a low ISO.

To take this even further, I would liken the
water pressure to the brightness or
intensity of the light, not the ISO. The
brighter the light you have, the faster the
shutter speed or smaller an aperture you
can use, but your ISO is still your ISO. It still
requires the same absolute QUANTITY of
light to hit the film/sensor to get that
proper exposure.
jack
May 8, 2010 01:02 pm
In may not be needed to use a high ISO to

shoot action/sports. It would depend on
the amount of light available and what you
want to do. If you want stop action then
you would need a fast shutter speed versus
blurring the action where you need a
slower shutter speed. On a bright day you
might be able to shoot NASCAR with an ISO
of 200 and fstop of 8 and shutter 1/500 say,
Again depends on the light.
Bob Bevan Smith
May 5, 2010 06:20 pm
I think the garden hose example best

describes the relationship of the three.
Instead of the width of the pipe think of
how wide open the tap is. A tap only slightly

turned (tiny aperture eg f16) lets through a
dribble of water but a fully open tap (wide
aperture eg f2.8) lets through lots of water.
A high water pressure (high ISO eg 800)
gets more water through the same tap
opening in the same time. The time the tap
is open (exposure time) limits the amount
of water coming through - longer opening
(low speed) = longer exposure and hence
more water.
So to fill a watering can exactly to the top
without overflowing, you can let the tap
dribble for a long time at low pressure, or
open the tap fully, or increase the water
pressure, to reduce the time. If the
pressure is too low, or the tap not open
wide enough, or turned off too soon, the
can is not full (under exposure). If the
pressure is too high, or the tap too wide
open, or left open too long, the can
overflows (over exposure).
To understand the effect of ISO, think of
trying to fill a can from a high pressure
hose - it takes a very quick hand on the tap
to get it exactly right. So a high ISO is really
good for photographing fast movement
like sports, and a low ISO gives better
results with static objects and in general
gives better control = better quality.
Hope that helps!
PS. ISO stands for International Standards
Organisation, and all modern cameras use
that standard, so any two cameras on the
same settings will give the same exposure
within limits.
rosy m
May 3, 2010 09:50 am
Hi Darren R,
I found your tutorial on "exposure" for
relate to.
Thank you and I look forward to more
tutorials from this site.
Regards,
RM
darren_c
May 2, 2010 10:45 am
Understanding Exposure, by Bryan

Peterson, should be required reading for
all beginning photographers. This was one
of the first books that I picked up; mainly
because it was a simply written
instructional manual with lots of colourful
and well composed examples.
Besides, who wouldn't be inspired by
Bryan's photography?
Cheers!
DC
abdullateef
April 30, 2010 10:00 pm
i was discussing with fellow photographer

abt what i read from ur site and what he
told me was dt if i really know all this things,
then i must be a great photograper. u knw,
i come from an area where in every 100
photographer, there is hardly one
professional. tx a million.
Marisa
April 28, 2010 06:58 pm
Love the window analogy! Makes so much

sense.
Ramil
April 24, 2010 10:16 pm
Isn't photography like cooking? You got to

have proper utensils and stuff to produce
perfectly cooked food. so what about the
metaphor of this: shutter speed is the
length of time you expose your food to
heat; aperture is the size of the burner or
heating element (the bigger the easier to
cook): and ISO the pan's thickness! And
think of this,isn't the lens like pots and
pans? you can cook on just about anything
but it would be difficult using improper
one. And the ingredients should be right to
make it taste good!

Just like the elements in the picture,some
should be there and some shouldn't be.
saya_sayan
April 21, 2010 12:51 am
This site is a life saver, thanx Darren. I've

had my canon 40D for quite a while, but
never really had any time to sit down and
pick at it.
All i've known, is that i cannot stand to use
Auto. I always liked using manual, but never
really understood it. I knew how i wanted
my picture to come out, but never got it
right, and this would discourage me
greatly.
But now thanx to you, i understand the
relation between those 3 settings that
always gave me a headache.
Now i just gotta practice, and hopefully, in
due time, my pictures will come out as i see
them....
Utpal
April 17, 2010 12:07 pm
I read all the comments again and again in

my leisure. In response to Cole Sun's
comment on 27th jan, I would like to tell
that setting of ISO depend on the lighting
condition. Brighter light - lower ISO and

Low light - higher ISO. But one thing always
should be noted that higher ISO increases
the digital noise in the photo. You can
compare this by taking a landscape
photograph with minimum as well as with
maximum ISO setting at the same time. You
will find by enlarging the lower ISO results a
smooth photograph and the higher ISO
results some noise in it. So, only in extreme
low light condition and for night
photography, higher ISO should be
exercised. I personally, always try to take
photograph with emphasizing Aperture
control by setting ISO setting to the
minimum.
www.flickr.com/photos/utpalsaha
DR KIRAN DESAI
April 16, 2010 08:17 pm
Excellent tutorials. Lots f good carry home

messages. Please forward all tutorials. i
want to learn more from u.
Very palatable way of explaning
Thanks
Regards,
Dr. kiran
Paul
April 15, 2010 02:01 am
Here's a pretty detailed review on aperture

that I wrote a short while ago:
http://www.paulparoutis.com/what-isaperture/
Adam Le Good
April 11, 2010 04:24 pm
I found the window analogy useful, but

would substitute sunglasses for curtain
thickness.
Carol
April 9, 2010 11:08 am
The window metaphor is so helpful.. Ive

been reading the difference between the
exposure triangle in every site or book and
this one really helped me understood so
well. Thank you!
IanRay Cruz
March 24, 2010 07:53 am
Thank you for sharing to us this

information about photography. I'm a
newbie and got my Canon 500D with 18-
55mm kit lens just 8 days ago, a friend told

me about your site. This is like going to
school of photography for freeee! ^____^
i love to read your guide. They are easy to
understand and you got a super duper
cool illustrations! lol! But i have to read
again and again so i could share it to
others too, specially to those who don't
have internet at home.
again big thanks to you
i+
Brittani Gonzalez
March 19, 2010 08:07 am
Thanks for the analogies because it

definitely made it easier to understand the
connection between the three. The window
analogy was the easier to understand.
Hopefully I can graduate from automatic
mode soon. Thank you
BrittaniPhotography
kavi
March 17, 2010 02:47 pm
Thanks for your illustration expecting more

in the future
enrolled agent exam
March 12, 2010 05:42
am
Thank you for the information. I am so

excited that I've found this sit. I've learned
so much in such a short amount of time.
peony4me
March 12, 2010 03:58 am
Mr. Darren, those are great metaphors and

really help visualize these 3 main things in
photography. I am also beginner plus
photographer and your explanation helped
me a lot.
The only thing left is practice, practice and
practice.
I am trying to do your assignments and
hope will show some progress soon.
I also wanted to add that your site is
awesome! just awesome.
thank you very much!
Christina
March 12, 2010 03:37 am
The window analogy is probably the easiest

to understand, but the sunbathing
example goes a little farther in explaining

how the components are interrelated.
Great simple explanation - thanks!
vineet
March 9, 2010 12:24 pm
i am a beginner and this is the first time i

could read the interconnectedness of 3
aspects and more than that it seems there
is no 4th one..thanks
utpal
March 5, 2010 09:03 am
Camera is your eye. compare it to your eye.

you will get every solution.
gail
March 5, 2010 03:36 am
Thank you so much for the simple, clear

way of explaining.
I've been reading and reading but the way
you just said how the exposure triangle
works I got it. Thank you Thank you.
ebenj
March 5, 2010 03:19 am
WOW, AWSOME , AN EYE-OPENER for a

beginner like me. Thank you very much Mr.
Darren Rowse for a very enlightening &
informative article regarding "The Exposure
Triangle". At this moment, as a newlyregistered member of DPS, I prefer to stick
with the basics of using my naked eye
vision in applying the Exposure Triangle.
You may not believe it, I have with me
Nikon F55 SLR, Sony Digital Handycam
Digital 8, Sony Cybershot DSC-S700 and
Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera. I never
bothered using the "Manual Mode", instead
all of my shots were done in "Auto Mode".
With the help and guidance from your
amazing site coupled with constant but
directed shooting practices, I can shoot
with confidence quality and amazing
pictures.
Jenny
March 4, 2010 09:52 pm
Having been given a Canon EOS 7D as a

present, I just spent two days on a basic
photography course. If I had found this site
first, I would have saved an awful lot of
money, the site is awesome and in an hour
reading about the Exposure Triangle I feel
I've learned more than two whole days

spent with a tutor, excellent though she
was. I've bookmarked the site and I'll be
back - again and again and again
Kent Judkins
March 2, 2010 08:27 am
From what I understand, ISO settings do

not change the sensitivity of the sensor but
rather change the amount of amplification
of the data between the sensor and writing
the file to memory. The audio equivalent
would be like turning up the amplifier as
opposed to making a microphone more
sensitive.
Dougory
February 28, 2010 04:01 am
Years ago, my dad had a Kodak Speed

Graphic and I learned basic photography
from him. His main tool was a light meter
that was almost mandatory. Am I coming
full circle if I wander from Full Auto???
Adrian
February 21, 2010 02:55 pm
For me the best explanation is the window.

Thank your very much for this wonderful
guide.
Wong Zong Yan
February 21, 2010 12:14 am
Great for beginners!

Thinking of getting a DSLR. This website is a
great help! :)
sourabh
February 19, 2010 06:17 am
hye thnks this is very good way understand

the basic principal of photography
jiggerjohndelgado
pm
i like the site too!
February 15, 2010 07:45
Aishwarya
February 10, 2010 08:43 am
Found the window analogy really really

helpful. Thanks so much! I'm taking a
photography course now and this website
is proving to be really helpful. Thanks again.
O'Fallon IL Photographer
February 6,
2010 01:29 am
Good explanation of what is going on with

your camera settings. I think what would be
icing on the cake is if someone were to
make a web application that let you
experiment with changing ISO, shutter, and
aperture. It would give beginners a better
idea of what changing each setting actually
did to the resulting image. I may end up
writing an application myself and putting it
on a new website we're going to be
creating for teaching photography
principles.
gilbert
February 2, 2010 07:36 am
i have just bought my DSLR cam
yesterday.,.. and I dont know whats the

meaning or use of ISO, Aperture, Shutter...
now i was enlightened after reading this
one!!!
now im learning!!!
thanks a lot!!!
Jessica
January 27, 2010 04:31 am
Yes I definetly found the window analogy

most helpful as well! However another way
I look at it is that the APERATURE is like the
pupil of your eye dialating to let in more or
less light. THe shutter speed is like your eye
blinking- so how quick is it gonna catch
motion and the ISO would be the sensitivity
of your eye to light- do you need to squint
because its too bright etc... would this be
correct?
Cole Sun
January 27, 2010 03:17 am
can anyone explain to me why i would need

to adjust the ISO on my camera?
ja ruler
January 27, 2010 03:13 am
i thought this site was unbelievalbe! so

many good tips!!!!
Luke Surma
January 27, 2010 03:13 am
i love the site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ely Dennis
January 26, 2010 06:49 am
For rina minca.

I think the best explanation would be from
Bryan Peterson's book. "understanding
exposure". On page 20 of that book he
explains in a very simple way to understand
ISO and its use. ISO is used in combination
with aperture and shutterspeed. It does
not work on it's own. Again, if you can get
your hands on this book it will give you a
very clear meaning of ISO. Hope I helped
you a little bit.
Rina Minca
January 26, 2010 06:07 am
I found the window metaphor the vest, but

I still don't get ISO by itself. Anyone able to
explain? I understand aperture and
shutterspeed really well, and how the three
(plus light) relate to each other, but not ISO
by itself.
Ely Dennis
January 26, 2010 04:05 am
Very good article. It is always constant

practice and shooting everyday really helps
the process. Learning new combinations of
determing the correct exposure. Once one
learns the rules of these elements it is then
that one can turn on the creativity. I also
purchased Bryan Peterson's
"Understanding Exoposure". It is a book
every photographer should have in their
library or backpack.
Thanks again for this great information.
Best Regards,
Ely Dennis
Stacey Malleck
January 26, 2010 03:49 am
I found this article very helpful. Thanks! The

window analogy makes the most sense to
me.
Water damage Roseville
January 22, 2010
08:57 am
Thank you very much. I've owned a digital

SLR for a while now and never really
understood ISO and aperture, but your
detailed explanation, and clear
demonstration makes it easy for me to
understand both.
I cant wait to try and experiment shots
with different settings.
Amul Kapoor
January 20, 2010 05:11 pm
Had joined these classes on Photography

about two months back. The lessons are
very interesting and good. A layman like me
has learnt a lot. Recently bought a Nikon P
90 DSLR camera and would love to master
the same through these lessons.
Thank you,
Amul Kapoor
Sola Bamgboye
January 18, 2010 04:25 am
Nice Metaphors. - Think the window one

best explains it best of the three..
Poje Mario
January 16, 2010 06:47 pm
Nice metaphores, I will sure use them for

explaining ;)
soumya
January 16, 2010 08:32 am
I found this tutorial very helpful. Thanks
Stagg Student
January 16, 2010 02:12 am
The window metaphor was extremely

helpful. We are currently learning about
camera settings, so it was a nice visual aid.
Asheesh
January 16, 2010 02:04 am
The window example was the best. Thanks!
Karen Stuebing
January 14, 2010 12:09 am
Very informative in an easy to understand

way. Another trick is to meter the scene by
pointing your camera at the brightest and
darkest part and adjusting aperture,
shutter speed or EV compensation
according to the what the camera tells you
about each area. Whether or not it's over
or under exposed too much This only
works if you have time as in a scenic.
And sometimes you actually want dark
areas as in a silhouette sunset photo. I
don't think you ever want blown high lights
except maybe in a black and white photo.
joy
January 8, 2010 08:30 pm
i've learned the basics..

it tooks a lot of effort to understand the
basics when your still an amature..
it helped me with this one..tnx
utpal
January 4, 2010 01:33 pm
One unanswered question always haunts

me that are the elements of triangle i.e.
ISO, aperture and shutter speed universal
for all brands of camera ? I use three
cameras of Canon, Nikon and Sony; but
experienced different results in framing
shots with same value. What;s the reason !
WATTS
January 3, 2010 08:06 pm
Thanks for a very infomative post, pls keep

them coming, All the best in 2010,
Jonathan
January 2, 2010 06:00 am
Love this article and the related technical

basics. I have included links to them in my
new blog as a good place to start learning
about digital photography.
http://fanatikerstudios.wordpress.com/
Keep up the excellent articles, I am always
learning from them.
(and I am new to the blog circuit, so if I have
violated any rights, please inform me and I
shall remove them accordingly.)
utpal
December 31, 2009 01:12 am
In my experience of photography, i feel

higher ISO always damage the quality of
photograph. If you want a quality
photograph, you should always work with
minimum ISO and give emphasis on
aperture / shutter control . Only in extreme
low light condition, after exercising
aperture and shutter speed to their
optimum level; a photographer should
exercise the higher ISO.
Gbenga Loveeyes Images
December 30,
2009 08:04 pm
This is a nice analogy but I think the triangle

should the other way. It should stand on
the iso point that is after you have done
aperture and shutter speed then the iso
can be considered. Thanks for all your
insight. Merry Xmas and a prosperous New
Year.
utpal
December 27, 2009 10:01 am
Aperture and depth of field are very much

related. Aperture only the aperture
controls the depth of field. But how?
Aperture allows you to control the
openings of the lens mouth. The more you
open(high aperture, say 2.7) the lesser
depth of field and more you close the
lenses mouth, the depth of field increases
gradually(low aperture, say 8.00). Now the
point is; why depth of field control is
needed. While taking a landscape or any
other photograph along with a close up
subject(suppose, you want to shoot a
landscape from a hiding of tree leaves and
you want to keep the both tree leaves and
the landscape prominent in your photo) ,
you need to fix your aperture value to 6.00,
7.00 or 8.00. Otherwise one of the subject
you select to shoot becomes blurry.The
work of aperture could be described with
an example. Take a piece of paper, make a
big whole in the paper and look through it
with somebody in front of you. You will find
either the person or the landscape will be
prominent in your looking i.e one subject
will definitely gets blurry. But if you make a
whole of smallest size in the paper and look
through it, you will find both the subjects
prominent in your looking(i.e. depth of field
increases with the reduction of hole size in
the paper).
adith
December 27, 2009 12:30 am
hey darren!!!
the window was a good metaphor.....but is
it possible for u to explain , how aperture
an depth of field r related? couldnt figure
out d logic behind it ......:-(
Henn
December 26, 2009 02:24 pm
Thanks a lot, after reading your articles it's

really give me the answer that most of the
time i'll wondering myself when capturing.
Thank you very much.
utpal
December 25, 2009 02:58 pm
As a photographer one thing always haunts

me, why the higher ISO makes a
photograph more noisy? Aperture control
allows you more or less light; shutter speed
controls the static or moving objects
photography. But how the photograph
becomes noisy with the increase of ISO ?
I've damaged many photographs in low
light with higher ISO.
Saz
December 24, 2009 02:41 pm
Thank you very much for the window

illustrative. It really something for me. You
are the man. Thank you.
redbaron
December 22, 2009 04:11 am
thank you very much for making it so easy

for me to understand how exposure work.
Are there any right combinations that you
would recommend. Thank.
Blue Boeser
December 18, 2009 05:51 pm
Thanks Bryan for your amusing explanation

of how exposure works.
By the way, try to eat more carrots, they
tan your skin from within and |
you won't get a sun burn so quickly
(vitamin A)! No kidding!
I'll have your pyramid in mind, it's a good
help.
Season greetings and a Happy New Year
Blue Boeser
Jason Hopkins
December 18, 2009 03:37 am
Thanks,
I can never get my head around ISO - it is
always set on 100!
Ashish
December 11, 2009 05:24 pm
Hi Darren,
This is an excellent & resourceful website.
Thank you for sharing the knowledge, it is a
very generous service. I am new to
photography and your articles really make
it interesting and fun. I am defi subscribed!
:)
Ashish
Ajith Kumar KC
Hi,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and
understanding the triangle of exposure. I
read through some of the comments too. I
felt an urge to raise a few queries.
Given that all other conditions are the
same, varying one value, say ISO setting
would change the values of others. For a

very dark night photo or a high action
sequence of fairly well lit Xmas tree, we may
choose a higher ISO value, say 800. This
would bring changes to the shutter speed
(higher) allowing us some degree of hand
shake. If we need to cover a large
foreground and background in the focus,
we may have to choose smaller aperture
also, thus sacrficing on the shutter speed.
Each f stop reduction would mean halving
the amount of light trasmitted through the
lens.
Is my understanding correct?
Do the ISO rating change from film camera
to digital since the process od recording
and the media are totally different?
Thanks
Chris
I think this is a great site, and a nice tutorial

on exposure. I do agree, however, there is a
4th element: LIGHT!
To limit the conversation to three (triangle)
issues is to miss THE most important
factor, light.
The light available.
The light we may choose to bring.
The strategies we may use to reduce the
light.
Critical, in my opinion!
hari
November 27, 2009 12:17 am
wonderful lessons for a beginner like me
Franco Campese
November 24, 2009 03:58
am
Really great analogies. Never thought

about photography like that
wedding
November 20, 2009 03:42 am
Great post. You've both increased my

respect for professional photographers
and made me want to pick up my old
camera and explore these concepts.
Tiffany
November 19, 2009 08:50 pm
ISO?? it says the ISO changes to

grainiess..so does that mean the more ISO
you have the less grained it will be?/ that is

the only thing i dont get!!
NAVEED ASLAM KHAN
November 18, 2009
07:49 pm
Thank you mr. Darren very nice article

about exposure triangle. It is very use full
for beginner. Being a beginner
i am going through all the tips you give and
also i try out them.
THANKS.
NAVEED ASLAM KHAN
S.Chandrashekar
October 16, 2009 06:05
pm
Can you please expand ISO ie what does

these letter stands for?
S.Chandrashekar
October 16, 2009 04:55
pm
Thank you Mr.Darren very usefull tips for

ammetures like us illustrations with windos
gives fair idea about shutter, apperture

and iso. Being a begine i am going through
all the tips you give and try out them.
Jan Ole Peek
October 16, 2009 04:31 am
Very nice article, including the 3 individual

articles about ISO, shutter speed, and
aperture. I truly have a better
understanding of this now, both how they
work individually and how they impact each
other. Thanks!
georgia
October 7, 2009 11:50 am
Hello Darren! I've been reading a lot of your

tutorials and i'm very grateful. I find the
window analogy very easy to understand
the relationship between the shutter
speed, ISO and aperture. thanks a lot. More
power to you and God bless...
Laura Laws
Wonderful article. Thank you!
photomesum
wats crakin just dropin sum fly commentz

through here haha... ps like the ISO
triangle.. l8r pan.
keith
Back in the old days of film I used to under

expose and increase the developer time. Is
there a way of getting a slower ISO with
digital other than 100? eg. 64,50 or 25.
Maisha
The window metaphor was helpful :-)

thanks!
Phillip
Great Metaphors on understanding

'Exposure' Darren. First let me say this is a
wonderful site and I have learned and been
challenged to try new techniques.
Probably not saying something that has
not already been said - but I think the one
thing about Exposure is 'How you want the
final photo to look'. All the three things
elements - ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed
are all linked to each other - change one
and you must change at least one of the
other elements has to change to get the
same 'Exposure'.
To me the ISO is the Anchor or main
variable and that the other two are tied to
it as the Main Controlled and they are
proportionally changed to yield the perfect
exposure.
I guess mine goes back to the film days
when you had to know what lighting
conditions you would have and if it was
going to cover the different effects you
might be going for. The films ISO is set, and
only one combination of Aperture and
Shutter Speed will give you the correct
exposure. That correct exposure for a
given ISO is the 'Amount' of light that falls
on the film or 'Digital Sensor' and there is
only one state that is correct for a given
ISO. Like Electron explained about the
water flow and a glass - you are shooting
for a full cup of water (correct exposure)
and it can be achieved quickly with fast flow
(Wide Aperture and fast Shutter) or Slowly
(Small Aperture and long Shutter) - they
both fill the glass (or achieve correct
exposure) but in different ways.
Phillip - VietVet'67
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vietvet67/
fish
i have question,. can help anyone,. if you do

moving subject or for example sports like
skatebording or basketball,. what should
be the setting mode,. like manual or its ok!
program mode? bec. my problem in
manual the subject is become blured.
tnxs!!!
lazar liebenberg
September 1, 2009 12:17
am
thanks, im just starting photography and

love it. this really helped me
Eileen
August 27, 2009 09:55 pm
Thank you so much! Finally you've

explained these concepts in terms I can
grasp. Metaphors are great and these are
quite memorable. Now I'm going to follow
the link and read more about ISO.
Alex
August 26, 2009 06:36 am
As a newcomer to digital photography, I've

been struggling to get my head around the
jargon and the relationship between the
points in the triangle and how changing
one aspect affects the others. This article
and further discussions and suggestions by
readers helps a lot. I wish to suggest
www.play.com as an alternative to amazon
for books. I live in France and get postage
included in very competitive price.
Kerry Garrison
August 21, 2009 09:54 pm
I think the concept of the triangle is correct

(see my original article on this at
http://cameradojo.com/2009/01/28/understandingexposure-with-the-exposure-triangle/ since
the these are the camera settings that
affect exposure. Light is an external thing
that is not in itself controlled by the
camera. Even though you can
dim/bright/move light, you still have to get
the camera settings correct for a good
exposure.
Jennifer Moore
August 21, 2009 03:16 am
This was great! The window analogy, I

thought, was perfect. It really clued me in
to a lot of things I was missing.
@Jeremy-Thanks for the cheat sheet.
I have not been at all afraid to use manual
mode, but I have defaulted mostly to
shutter priority or aperture priority,
because they have been the easiest to
understand. I don't know why ISO is so
difficult for me, but I won't stop
experimenting, and I'll keep reading up on
this.
Joining this site is one of the best things I
ever could have done for myself. I've had to
put off taking classes, due to monetary
issues. This site is really helpful!
Jennifer Moore
JenniferLynn Productions, LLC
Saqib
August 21, 2009 01:28 am
Quadrangle? You mean square lol. Nice

analagy!
Stacy
August 20, 2009 07:36 pm
Nice analogy. I think analogies are the best

way to explain exposure to beginners.
Seems so complex until you get it. Then its
a cinch.
Victor
August 20, 2009 04:06 pm
Thanks Darren for the excellent tip and

article. I just bought the book by Internet
on amazon.com I will be waiting for the
book close to the mail box for the next 6
weeks (long way to Australia)
Joerg
August 19, 2009 07:16 am
Thanks for the informative summary. Think

you can not stress enough that a digital
camera is an ideal tool for learning
exposure as you get instant feedback
Rosita
August 18, 2009 02:08 am
Hey Darren, thank you very much for this

and all what you do to help. just to help!
God bless your mind, your work, your life.It
is really a gift to have find you on my way.
lij
July 27, 2009 02:10 am
thanks a ton Darren.

very informatiive...
Moos
July 15, 2009 11:28 pm
Thank you very much Darren, this was very

helpful and very informative
jill
July 12, 2009 01:25 am
thanks it really help me a lot understanding

all aspect of digital photography
mark varona
July 11, 2009 04:05 pm
thank you!! very informative!!
dokki-kidd
July 7, 2009 07:05 am
thanks for this tutorial! EXCELLENT guide to

beginners like me. Keep it up... :)
Kelley
June 28, 2009 04:30 pm
twitter.com/brokenstill
Kaleem Jaferi
June 22, 2009 10:15 pm
Thank you very much for all the

illustrations and explainations. I have learnt
a few tricks in a very short time and am
looking forward to creating some
memorable moments.
oddstray
June 22, 2009 02:15 pm
I've just started reading this, and I read the

"window" analogy. Instead of sunglasses,
wouldn't a closer analogy be tinting on the
window glass?
rubberslipper
June 22, 2009 12:04 am
OMG this article has been so useful. I just

bought my first DSLR camera and i'm a
complete newbie. This has made me
understand aperture, shutter speed and
iso and how they relate to each other
better and without confusion. THanks! keep
the tips coming :)
Michael
June 21, 2009 11:31 am
Jeremy, thanks for the cheat sheet, I'm new

to the manual mode and this will be helpful
in my experimentation on my P& S camera.
Darren glad to find this site, hope to be a
fan and expand my knowledge here.
udo.d
June 17, 2009 05:59 am
Mukesh is right. The triangle should be a

"quadrangle' with neutral density (gray)
filters (sunglasses with varying strength) as
the 4th dimension. I wouldn't be surprised
if sometime in the near future a camera
maker comes up with an "Auto Filter"
feature. These filters are great if during
bright day light you want to have long
exposure times (motion blur) or narrow
depth of field and ISO is already at its
lowest setting. You would manually set
shutter speed, aperture and ISO and let the
camera automatically pick a filter to avoid
over-exposures.
mseviieee
June 16, 2009 08:44 pm
Great window illustration / article Darren!

@Jeremy Jacobs thanks for the cheat sheet
:] this will come in handy!
Jeremy Jacobs
June 12, 2009 08:55 pm
Great article! I am relatively new to
photography and this is very helpful. I

prefer the first metaphor myself and the
article on the Canon site is excellent!
I have created a very simple cheat sheet
that I use when taking pictured based on
this. You can download it from my site and
share around!
http://www.jeremyjacobs.co.uk/photography/
Ben
June 10, 2009 12:20 pm
@Mukesh
Glad you pointed out the other element.
(light) excellent.
Nothing is mentioned about metering
mode. It has a lot to do with exposure also.
Alex Suarez
June 10, 2009 12:47 am
@Electron - That's exactly the point I made

in my earlier comment. I agree, I think the
container analogy holds up better under
scrutiny. Regardless, an excellent post from
Darren.
Electron
June 9, 2009 03:25 am
I hope this doesn't confuse the issue, but

there's another metaphor I've had a lot of
success with in trying to explain exposure. I
relate exposure to filling a drinking glass at
a tap. Rate of flow of the water = Aperture;
Time water is flowing = Shutter speed; Size
of drinking glass = ISO.
Obviously this is similar to the garden hose
analogy, but I think the glass size is a more
useful symbol. People are immediately
familiar with the concept, it illustrates the
role of ISO more directly, and it can be
extended to explain signal-to-noise ratios.
Bonnie
June 7, 2009 01:18 am
Excellent example to explain a complex

subject.
Red
June 7, 2009 01:17 am
Thumbs up for the "window" example.
Kenneth Hyam
June 6, 2009 08:26 pm
Hi Darren,
This is the second time I have read this
article, and I think the metaphors are very
helpful.
What I find interesting is the way the three
corners of the triangle intereact.
Thanks for the excellent insights.
Kenneth
Rajev
June 6, 2009 06:51 am
Concept beautifully explained using very

nice examples. I liked the window example
the best.
David
June 5, 2009 10:09 pm
thank u so much for all the inspiring topic

in this website. i lose my passion in
photography because i have no digital
camera. but when i read some of the article
in your website.the passion arise.. thanks
again
Sahil
June 5, 2009 06:04 pm
Its great to read such kind of topics for a

beginner like me. This helped me a lot.. I
shall now move forward in this field and
produce bring results.
jerome cura
June 5, 2009 12:34 pm
although i really found all the analogies

helpful (thank you for that), is there any
fixed rule that a specific setting of aperture
should correspond to a specific setting
shutter speed? or does it all depend on the
situation at hand?
Richard Poi
June 5, 2009 11:48 am
Using metaphors is very effective in

communication and making people
understand: thank you for the tutorial
article.
B P Maiti
June 5, 2009 09:51 am
A well informative article ,excellently

illutrated My cofusions are removed.
Alex Suarez
June 5, 2009 08:41 am
Excellent post, Darren. It's critical for any

photographer to understand exposure.
I recently wrote about this very topic on my
blog ( http://www.alexsuarez.com/exposure
). I used the analogy of filling a container
with water. The analogy holds up quite well
for all three variables (aperture, shutter
speed and ISO speed) when scrutinized.
Have a look.
Nehal
June 5, 2009 03:22 am
Thank you very much. I never understood

ISO and aperture, but your detailed
explanation, and clear demonstration
makes it easy for me to understand both.
I am getting a new DSLR next week, I can't
wait to try and experiment shots with
different settings.
Bill Antonacci
June 3, 2009 10:15 am
I really got a lot out of that tutorial and I

want to thank you.
Randy Hunt
June 3, 2009 06:26 am
The "exposure triangle" omits a fourth

factor -- LIGHT! Yes, light can be controlled.
You could reduce the light by using a
diffusion panel (or an ND filter). You can
increase light by adding light sources.
I think presenting exposure as a three-part
equation cheats the reader out of the
knowledge that they CAN, in fact, control
the fourth parameter.
swadesh_naha
June 2, 2009 06:06 am
I am feeling problem to take potrait shot at

night from my nikon p80 cam.specially
when i take outdoor shot, will u plz solve
this problem.
oliverignacio
June 1, 2009 09:37 pm
I bought and read Understanding Exposure

and I must say that Bryan Peterson has
explained the Exposure Triangle perfectly.
It is easy to understand.
jhon
May 31, 2009 10:04 pm
austin_hxc has the point but i think what

hes is talking about is the function and how
to control or handle the three elements....
jhon
May 31, 2009 10:02 pm
this is a great article, a very helpful for the

people who doesn't know the use and
purpose of this three elements.... keep it up
man....
Austin_HXC
May 31, 2009 05:09 am
"I get the feeling in your window metaphor
you have added a new element (the fourth

one) that helps control exposure which
should make Bryans triangle a
quadrangle. Your example of sunglasses
actually is fliter that you can put in front of
lens to reduce the amount of in coming
light. So it is not only - apertutre, shutter
speed and ISO that are manipulable
variables but also the light filter that helps
control the extent of incoming light."
I agree.
But it would actually be called a
quadrilateral. :)
Turki AlFassam
May 30, 2009 09:29 pm
Thank you! it's very important topic every

Photographer should know it very well.
I found the illustrative in this link is more
easy to understand. check it out:
http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/part2/2Ag.html
Ilan
May 30, 2009 07:20 pm
Sorry - Here is the correct, clickable link For example, in this photo the WB tends to
be bit yellow, to give that "early morning"

feeling, and iso is pretty low, to allow me to
use the correct shutter speed just to
enhance they eye and the reflection, and
keep everything else in the darkness.
Ilan
May 30, 2009 07:15 pm
This is a very important article, and

important mainly because there are many
people using their DSLR on Automatic
mode. And that, in my humble opinion, is
like buying a buying a new car just for
rolling yourself downhill for fun.
Each of the mentioned tools (iso,
aperture and shutter speed) are tools
that should be used to express yourself
and define the exact outcome of the
frame.
For example, this photo http://www.ilanbresler.com/2008/09/glance.html
- The WB tends to be bit yellow, to give that
"early morning" feeling, and iso is pretty
low, to allow me to use the correct shutter
speed just to enhance they eye and the
reflection, and keep everything else in the
darkness.
MeiTeng
May 30, 2009 05:26 pm
I placed an order for the book by Bryan

Peterson and am still waiting for it to
arrive. I picked up at least 3 reading titles
from DPS. Thanks!
mack
May 30, 2009 04:19 pm
Yeah, the window analogy is a lot easier to

understand.
Mukesh
May 30, 2009 02:29 pm
I get the feeling in your window metaphor

you have added a new element (the fourth
one) that helps control exposure... which
should make Bryan's triangle a
'quadrangle'. Your example of sunglasses
actually is fliter that you can put in front of
lens to reduce the amount of in coming
light. So it is not only - apertutre, shutter
speed and ISO that are manipulable
variables but also the light filter that helps
control the extent of incoming light.
April
May 30, 2009 11:08 am
I found the window analogy most helpful.
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Learning about Exposure

A Post By: Darren Rowse

Photography Tips &

Bryan Peterson has written a book titled Understanding

wanting to venture out of the Auto mode on your digital

Quick Tips for

camera and experiment with its manual settings.

Each of the three aspects of the triangle relate to light and

The three elements are:

its bigger more

more that comes in.

like a low ISO).

How to Give Your

Now getting a suntan is something I always wanted

you rst started

As Ive said neither metaphor is perfect but both illustrate

Bringing It All Together

Read more from our category

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Join the discussion

Challenge - It's Not1 ... Login

I certainly do enjoy the articles here. . .

Caren > earl jules

I agree with your views of the articles found here but

Amir > Caren

Garden Hose was the third one.

achelan door > Caren

Additionally, you indicated you would share

Jasper > earl jules

Watch out for grammar police...

andrew parker > earl jules

Jan Neufelder > earl jules

Shoudn't it be "tweaks which take place during a

Mrl > earl jules

For someone so obsessed with grammar and

Amir > earl jules

I think, while concentrating more on GRAMMAR, you

Latimer Alder > earl jules

Easy way to remember is 'his, hers, its' are the

Regarding ASA metaphors, perhaps some of your readers

Allen > Scott Kinnaird

Well, I grew up in the film age. Although your film

F. Stop Fitzgerald > Allen

They're the same thing, and film has been

Scott Kinnaird > Allen

Good lord, I meant ASA. Jeez. Sorry. And,

Ingred Shine > Scott Kinnaird

ISO: International Standards

Also Earl.... the third metaphor is the Garden Hose

this is a photoshoot from JoeSaab

The exposure triangle explained for a six year old.

Iam Marshall > Debi Hundley

That nipple is now engrained into my brain! Other than that,

WW > Alex Rhone

hhaha same here

Maybe I'm a square: but I can't avoid another angle to this

For me, a triangle is only part of the story.

For the window metaphor, could a curtain on the window be

Frank Robert Coleman III > America

I liked the curtain metaphor better than the