Things You Should Know
Film/Digital Speed:
Film/CCD sensitivity are rated at different speeds depending on their sensitivity to light. Each film is given a speed rating known as an ISO (digital) or an ASA(film) rating
50-100 ISO = Outdoors, brightly lit areas, least amount of noise/grain
200 ISO = Indoors, general lighting, mid-level setting some noise/grain
400 - 1600 ISO = Dimly lit areas (ie concerts, plays, limited lighting), occasions when you may need to speed up your shutter speed to catch action (ie. indoor sports), larger amounts of noise/grain
3200 ISO = last resort, only for very low levels of light and usually only used when flash is enabled, often very noisey/grainy.
Shutter Speed:
-This is the amount of time the shutter stays open
-It can commonly range from 1/10000th of a second to 30 seconds
-There is also Bulb Mode on higher-level SLR models which keeps the shutter open as long as you have your finger on the shutter release button.
To capture action- Use a higher shutter speed about 1/250 to 1/5000 depending on the movement.
To capture blur/motion- Use a slower shutter speed around 1/60th and slower depending on the motion again
Note: slower shutter speeds need a tripod to prevent camera shake
Aperture:
Controls Depth of field and the amount of light hitting the film
-Aperture can range from f1 to f32
-f1 will let in the most light
-f32 will let in the least light
Shallow Depth of Field:
-Portraiture is best done with a shallow depth of field to separate the important subject from a cluttered or uninteresting background.
-To put the background out of focus requires a shallow depth of field - a wide aperture should be used ie f2.4 or smaller.
Greater Depth of Field:
-For example, landscape photography is best done with greater depth of field.
-Some foreground detail is a good idea to add interest to the otherwise boring background.
-To achieve this effect a narrow aperture is required, for example, f22.
