by Noella Ballenger

Let's start by looking at how the film in your camera is exposed. Film is exposed by light, and a camera has three basic controls to regulate the amount of light that will strike the film in order to make a properly exposed photograph:

Film Speed Control (ISO/ASA)

Film that's very sensitive to light (it can almost "see in the dark") may have an ISO/ASA number of 400 or higher. It's frequently referred to as fast film. Film that needs lots of light is called slow film and usually carries an ISO/ASA number of only 25 or 50. Many photographers tend to favor film in the middle range--an ISO/ASA rating of 100. Why do you think photographers often like middle range film?

Shutter Speed Control     

The shutter speed controls the length of time that light is allowed to enter the lens of the camera. In other words, this control tells the shutter how long it can stay open. Look on your camera for the dial or a digital readout with some numbers that run in a series--such as 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500, and 1000. These numbers are the shutter speed settings, and if you make them into a fraction, they may be easier to understand as units of time.

For example: 2     = ½ second 4     = ¼ second 8     = 1/8 second 15    = 1/15 second 30    = 1/30 second 60    =1/60 second 125   = 1/125 second 500  = 1/500 second 1000 = 1/1000 second

You'll also see a letter "B" that stands for "bulb". You'll use the bulb setting when you want the shutter to stay open. As long as you have the button depressed, the shutter will stay open.  When you remove your finger from the button, the shutter closes.

Keep in mind, we're talking about the length of time the shutter stays open to let light into the camera. An example of a "slow shutter speed" would be about 1/30 second or slower. A fast shutter speed would be a 1/250 second or higher. Many people prefer to set their cameras at 1/60 or 1/125 second. These speeds "stop" or freeze most actions and counteract "photographer vibration" or the movement you make without meaning to when you're not using a tripod to take a picture. If you take a picture of a horse running, you'll see a good picture of the horse. However, if you want to show the motion of a horse running, you'll use a slow shutter speed. As the shutter stays open, the horse will run through the image. The image of the horse will look blurry, which is what you want if you're taking a picture of motion and not just the horse.

Aperture Control or F-stop

You'll see some numbers on the lens--such as 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, and 22. To understand these numbers, turn them into fractions just as you did with your shutter speed settings:

4 = ¼ 5.6 = 1/5.6 8 = 1/8 11 = 1/11 16 = 1/16 22 = 1/22 32 = 1/32

Lots of people have difficulty figuring out how these numbers relate to the size of the opening in the lens. To make the problem easier, think of dividing a pie into sections. If you cut a pie into fourths and took one piece, you'd have a much bigger piece (1/4 of the pie!) than you would if you cut the pie into twenty-two pieces and only got 1/22 of the pie. So, ¼ is much bigger than 1/22. In the same way, a lens set with the aperture or f-stop of 4 has a very large opening (allowing more light to come into the camera) than one set at f-22, a small opening (allowing much less light to come into the camera).

Focus Control

Now that we've gone through the basics about exposure, it's time for us to move on to focus, as we promised. The last major camera control is located on the lens and is the focus control. Turn the barrel of the lens until the image you're looking at becomes sharply focused. On Auto-focus cameras this is usually done for you when you depress the shutter release button half way down. This control has nothing to do with exposure. You can have a properly exposed picture that is in or out-of-focus, or you can have a poorly exposed picture that is in or out-of-focus. No connection. You'll usually want to have your images come out sharp or in focus. (We'll discuss some different, creative focus options in a later article.)

Practice

You'll learn your camera best if you practice with it frequently.

a.) Go through your instruction book and learn how to load and unload the film. (Sometimes, you'll need to waste a whole roll of film doing this!)

b.) Practice putting your lens on the camera and taking it off.

Do these mechanical jobs over and over, until they're easy for you. I suggest spending a few evenings in front of the television "playing" with your camera, so your fingers can learn where things are even when you're not looking. Getting the feel of you camera makes learning photography easier. Keep in mind, all of these exercises are your experiments. If the pictures you take turn out to be nice shots, terrific! If they aren't so good, terrific, too--as long as you learned something from taking them.  If you keep trying, you'll succeed in time.

If you want to learn quickly, take notes. (I'm a professional photographer, and I don't like taking notes. However, I take them whenever I'm trying something new or different. Carry come 3x5 cards with you and photograph your note after you take the picture. In this way the photograph you are working on and the photograph of the note are together. When you get your prints back, keep the two photos together.)

Here is what you need to record:

a.) What were you trying to do?

b.) What camera settings did you use and why? (Just writing down the settings without noting what you were trying to do isn't helpful. Light changes all the time, so even if you write down a setting of F8 at 1/125, it means nothing.  A more helpful note is: "Took meter reading from side of barn, wanted to show lots of detail, meter read F8 at 1/60. I used F8 at 1/60 and at 1/125."  Or, "Wanted to show horse in motion. Set slow shutter speed of 1/60 at F11.")

Finally, after you get the photos back, decide if you were successful in actually doing what you were trying to do. If you weren't successful or if you really didn't understand why you got the results you did, then go back and try doing the lesson again. Keeping a scrapbook in which you write your lessons beside the photos and your notes can be very helpful.

Exercises:

ISO/ASA RATING EXERCISES:    

Exercise 1: Visit a film counter and check out all of the kinds of film that are available. Note the ISO/ASA or film speed on each film. As you look over the film, think about the kinds of images that you want to take. Do you need to stop the action or will speed matter?    

Exercise 2: Buy two rolls of film--one, a fast film and one that isn't fast. (You might need to spend several days doing this assignment, because it's important that you work during the same times of day for both rolls.)  With each roll, take some shots early in the day when the light is bright and then, late when it's almost dark. Even if you choose to let the camera set the controls, make a note of the time and the camera settings. What differences do you see in your results?  

SHUTTER SPEED EXERCISES:     

Exercise 1: Locate the shutter speed on your camera. Practice changing the settings. Make a list of subjects that would require a faster or slower shutter speed. Try photographing some of those subjects.

Exercise 2:  Take your camera to a busy street and set the camera on a slow shutter (1/30th second or slower) speed. See what happens when something moves rapidly through the camera range. Take shots of some cars that are going slower and some that are going faster. Change your shutter speed to faster (1/250, 1/500, 1/1000) settings (always remembering to change the aperture or put the camera on Shutter priority to get a proper exposure) and try to freeze the action.    

APERTURE PRIORITY EXERCISES:    

Exercise 1: Locate the aperture settings on your camera or lens. Take a series of photographs using each aperture setting. Again, remember to change your shutter speed or put the camera on Aperture priority to get a proper exposure. (We'll be going into the creative use of this control in the next lesson.  This exercise will prepare you.) I suggest using a fence as your subject.  Stand at about a 45-degree angle from the fence, and photograph it so that you're looking at a row of markers. Focus on the same post for each photograph. If you can't find a fence to photograph, then set up some objects along a row like the playing cards below.

As you decrease the aperture (f/4 to f/22) depth of field (how much is in focus) increases. The image on the left is f/4 the one on the right is f/22. Notice how more cards are in focus at f/22, even though the "jack" is the center of  focus for both photos. (For your exercise make sure to  focus on the same point for each exposure.)

FOCUS CONTROL EXERCISES        

Exercise 1: Out-of-focus photographs usually aren't pleasing.  Go to the library to find some magazines or photography books that use really good photography. Visit a museum or art gallery that exhibits photography and really look at what sharp focus is. (When your eye and mind know what really sharp focus is, you won't be satisfied with less.)

Exercise 2: Tape a newspaper (classified ads work well) to a wall and photograph the paper from various distances. Shoot a couple of shots that are out-of-focus and then practice making your pictures really sharp. (Note: photographing newspaper is also a good way to judge just what your camera lens is seeing.)

All photos are Copyright © Noella Ballenger. They have been digitally watermarked and may be used for your on-line viewing pleasure only. No other uses are allowed without expressed written permission from Noella Ballenger.