Relationship Between Aperture and Shutter Speed

As in a previous blog, I talked about steps to take macro photos by using an auto built-in mode in a digital camera. All of built-in modes in a digital camera have different fixed exposure. This blog, I’d like to write a little bit more details of two from three factors of the exposure triangle and its relationship.

 

First of all, what are the three factors of the camera exposure? I know that a lot people wonder and want to know about that. According to Maggie O'Briant, in her article in Steve's Digicams site, she defines that

A correct exposure is a simple combination of three important factors: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Since the beginning of photography, these same two factors have always been at the heart of every exposure, whether that exposure was correct or not, and they still are today—even if you’re using a digital camera.

The first factor I'd like to tell is the aperture. As what I researched, there are a few different definitions about the aperture but I like the way Bryan F Peterson explains the most. According to him, in his article in www.photo.net, he defines that 

The aperture is the size of the lens opening. It controls the amount of light let in: a larger aperture lets in more light, while a smaller aperture lets in less light.

The aperture does have variable opening value as its size is written in this form "f/number". As I know that form is a ratio of focal length to aperture diameter. The aperture size is usually between f/2 to f/16. There is a simple, direct relationship between aperture and depth-of-field, the smaller the aperture, the more extensive the depth-of-field. According to an article on Ephoto Zine site, there are examples about the relationship between them:

If you want to keep as much as possible sharp, you should set as small an aperture as possible - preferably f/16, or even f/22 if your lens offers it…If, however, you want to concentrate attention on just one part of the scene, and throw the rest out-of-focus, you should select a large aperture.

The second factors is the shutter speed. It is defined very clearly on an article that I read on the site Photography Mad, the writer said

Inside your camera, directly in front of the sensor, is a small flap called the shutter. When you take a photo, this opens and closes to let light reach the sensor, creating your image. Shutter speed describes how quickly or slowly the shutter opens and closes again. A fast shutter speed means that the shutter is only open for a short period of time; a slow shutter speed means the shutter is open for longer.

As I said early, in this blog, I only talk about the relationship between the aperture and the shutter speed. Aperture and shutter speed are bound together like an old married couple. For the same scene, if you open the aperture, you increase the shutter speed, and if you close down the aperture, you decrease the shutter speed (Photography Mad) A picture that I'd post below is represent relationship of them.

 

As much as I know, there are a lot of uses for aperture and shutter speed. Professional photographers take advantage of them to make creative effect on art works. One of these art works is making the background blur. Another thing is drawing lights at night. Both of them usually give interesting results. Even though I am not a professional photographer, but I used to try to drawing lights at night time when waiting for the traffic light. I image that it's a photo of a man who has curly hair, he is tired and taking a long sigh.
Thank you for reading my blog.




















Work Cited:

O'Briant, Maggie. "The Exposure Family: Aperture, Shutter Speed and Metering." www.steves-digicams.com. Steve's Digicams, n.d. Web. 12 Sept 2012.
 
Peterson, Bryan F . "Basic Photo Tips: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO." www.photo.net. A Site for Photography, Aug 2008. Web. 12 Sept 2012

   

"Depth-of-field explained." www.ephotozine.com. Ephoto Zine, n.d. Web. 12 Sept 2012.

"Shutter Speed: A Beginner's Guide." http://www.photographymad.com. Photography Mad, n.d. Web. 12 Sept 2012.