DSLR Summary

DSLR cameras allow you to have more control when you take pictures. It is also a great place to start when you want to learn the basics of photography. When you are first taking on a DSLR camera, you should see that, on modern DSLRs, there is an auto mode which does much of your decision-making. It is best to use your camera on the auto mode until you have fully figured out how to adjust everything on your own. It is great, too, because you can mess up and it's okay, because trial and error is what it's all about. To help your picture not be overexposed or underexposed, you have to use the proper aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Being overexposed means your picture is too bright, and being underexposed means your picture is too dark. Both ways, you won't be able to see your picture very well. Aperture is the opening in the lens that lets light in. The sizes of the openings are determined by f-stops, such as f/2, f/4, and f/6. The smaller the number, the bigger the opening is. With aperture, you have to determine how much light needs to be let in to get a perfect shot. Cameras are different from our eyes, meaning if you were to be sitting in a dark room and can see, that doesn't mean the camera will pick up what you are seeing as well. So when it's dark, you have to open the aperture to let in as much light as possible, and when it's bright, you need to limit the light so that the picture isn't overexposed. When your aperture is opened wide, you can only focus on a small range of objects, and most things are blurry. But when your aperture is small, you can focus on more space and further out. When you are determining how much light needs to be let in, it is up to the photographer to figure that out. But, DSLRs have internal light meters that determine how much light is correct. There are also handheld light meters that measure the light in your scene, which is good if you want to be very precise about the light. The second exposure factor is shutter speed. Shutter speed is how long the shutter stays open when taking a picture. Shutter speed is very fast, and although we can't tell the difference between different fractions of a second, those fractions determine if you will over or underexpose your picture. You can't use shutter speed without using aperture. So, for example, if you are shooting outside on a bright day, you will have your aperture open, so you need a fast shutter speed so that you don't overexpose your picture. And if you are shooting in a dark setting, you will have a small aperture, so you need to have a slow shutter speed to give time for the light to come in. A slow shutter speed allows for the picture to be blurred, which can look very beautiful. Not only does the blurriness depend on the shutter speed, it also depends on the lens size, ISO, and if your hand is shaking or not. If you want your subject to be sharp and your background to be a blur, you can set your shutter speed to 1/15 of a second, and pan the camera so that you are focusing on the subject. Your picture will turn out with the background blurred. Fast shutter speeds are good for close-ups. For example, if you are taking a picture of a person and want their eyes to be focused and everything else to gradually blur, you set a fast shutter speed. Last but not least, ISO is the light sensitivity of the film or sensor. Unlike cameras back then, you can adjust the ISO to where you need it to be. When using all three of these elements, you need to use the ISO first. Setting the ISO before doing anything else allows you to see the light hand how much light  you want to let in so that you can then adjust the aperture and shutter speed. You also have to remember to focus the picture. You can do that by pressing the "AF" button, or holding the shutter button halfway.