The Holy Trinity

A successful photograph is more than what camera or lens you use. It is more than fancy props and backdrops. It is more than location and subject matter. A successful photograph is the result of all of the above, unmentioned things in between, plus instinct and experience. I wish I could say that every aspect is carefully considered in every single photo, but in my experience, it’s not. If I carefully considered some of those creative decisions, I would never actually make it to the image capture. Most of the time I shoot and adjust, shoot and adjust, shoot and adjust, know what I mean? After a while you sort of figure out what works and what doesn’t and build on that every time you pick up your camera. I can generally plan ahead in terms of location, pose, props, ambient light, etc. But it’s the Holy Trinity that I have the most difficulty planning for. What’s the Holy Trinity? I’m glad you asked.

The Photographer’s Holy Trinity refers to the three most important settings to consider when shooting a photograph; aperture, ISO and shutter speed. Before I explain the relationship between the three, you must know what each of the terms mean.

Aperture – the circular opening inside a
lens that adjusts in diameter to control the amount of light to be captured by your camera sensor or film. Aperture is measured in f-stops. Lower numbers mean a larger opening, for example, f/2.8 is larger in diameter than f/5.6. A larger opening gives a more shallow depth of field (what is in focus). A smaller opening gives a greater depth of field. Remember though, aperture is only a part of the formula. You have to consider shutter speed and ISO as well.

ISO – originally a term used to rate the light sensitivity of film, but has also been adopted to rate the light sensitivity of a digital camera’s imaging sensor. But you will find that as you increase in ISO you lose image quality. Higher ISO levels open your image up for more noise or grain.

Shutter speed – refers to how long the shutter is open to expose the image sensor to light. It is measured in fractions. 1/60 refers to 1 sixtieth of a second. 1/125 refers to 1 one hundred twenty fifth of a second. So, 1/125 is a faster shutter speed than 1/60. On most cameras the shutter speed is shown without the fraction. 1/60 would appear as 60 and 1/125 would appear as 125. Just remember that the higher the number, the less time the shutter is open and the less blur you will get. The lower the number the longer the shutter is open, leaving more room for blurring.

Now you are asking yourself, what am I supposed to do with this information? If you are anything like me, you need a visual. Please see below.

APERTURE

As you can see, at point a you have a smaller diameter or opening within your lens. As mentioned before, a smaller opening will allow you to have more in focus or a deeper depth of field. At point b you have a larger diameter, giving you less in focus or a more shallow depth of field.

ISO

At point a, the camera ISO is set at a lower number, therefore the image should have less noise or grain. At point b, the camera ISO is set at a larger number, which often gives a lot a noise or grain.

SHUTTER SPEED

At point a, you have a faster shutter speed (shutter is open very briefly) so the sensor doesn’t capture too much movement in your subject. It’s like blinking your eye quickly. If you blink quickly you see only a quick snapshot of what’s in front of you. But at point b, the shutter speed is slower (shutter is open a bit longer) so it captures more movement in the subject. If you leave your eyes open a bit longer you see more movement in what’s in front of you.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Now, because all three of the elements work together, it is important that you see them all on the same graph. Hopefully this graphic will give you a better understanding of how they work together.

Each corner represents an element in the formula. The further you get from that corner, the larger that element increases. But you will notice that the further you get from one corner, the closer you get to the other two, which means as that element increases, the other two decrease. For example, if you increase the time on the shutter speed (which means the shutter will be open longer), the smaller aperture (smaller diameter) and lower ISO (less sensitive) you will need. If you increase your aperture (larger diameter), you will need a lower ISO (less sensitive) and faster shutter speed (decreases amount of time that the shutter is open) . If you increase your ISO (more sensitive), you will need a faster shutter speed (less time open) and a smaller aperture (smaller diameter).

Now that you understand how the triangle works, let’s plug in some of that information from earlier. See the image below and notice the changes I made.

THE BIG PICTURE

Now you can see how adjusting one element will affect another. For example, if you increase the time on your shutter speed you are at risk for more blurring, but you will get a deeper depth of field and be less at risk for noise and grain. If you are shooting and notice you have a lot of noise, you might decrease your ISO, but have to slow down your shutter speed (at risk for blurring) and increase your aperture (losing some depth).

This is a lot to take in at once. Don’t kill yourself trying to figure out where to start. The best way to learn it is to get out your camera and just start taking pictures in different environments. Start on auto to see what your camera recommends in that particular setting, then switch to manual and start with the suggested settings. If the image isn’t what you want, look at the triangle and see what you need to adjust. Ask yourself, “What is wrong with this picture?”. If it’s too much light, start with ISO. If it’s blur, start with shutter speed. If it’s depth of field, start with aperture. Just remember that each element works in conjunction with the other.

Well, that’s it for today folks! I hope that I am as accurate as I think I am. If you find a discrepancy, please let me know. (In a polite, tactful way.) Just remember, I am learning too. We are in this together!

What the blog is going on here?

I’ve had several people ask what inspired me to start this blog. Why now? What took you so long? In short, it’s not really one event that put me here. I just felt like there was a need to nurture one another in this sometimes cut-throat industry we enjoy so much. I am not an expert. I am not the best photographer out there. I am not eager to give criticism or receive it. For those reasons, I am relying on our experiences as amateurs to help one another. Of course I will write from my own experiences, but I intend on inviting guests and members of TOTL to contribute as well. With that being said, I would like to start this blog with my thoughts on some of the discouragement we all face.

There are a number of websites or blogs out there that are centered on the tearing down and mockery of new and inexperienced photographers. I’m not going to give specific names, but I’m sure a few of you have laid eyes on those very sites. While looking them over, I noticed that they all seem to have a number of things in common.

1. “So you bought a fancy camera, and now you’re a professional?”

How many individuals set out knowing exactly what they wanted to do in life? Better yet, how many are actually doing what it was they set out to do? Very few, that is certain. So what if you don’t have a fancy degree?! Some of the most prestigious photographers will tell you that while classes as a college or institution are helpful, they are not what makes a good photographer great. Great photographers are born of getting out there and doing it. They come from taking a million horrible photographs, getting kicked in the gut with constructive criticism, and failure. Lots and lots of failure. This is true of any profession. This is how the pendulum of successful business goes; the further toward the side of success you WANT to go, the further toward the side of failure you HAVE to go.

I don’t care if you went to Best Buy for a point and shoot and came home with a professional DSLR. I don’t care that you bought a portable studio on Ebay for $100.00. And I don’t care that you started taking pictures of your kids and neighbors kids for practice. We all have to start somewhere. And how much sweeter will your success be when you come from such humble beginnings?

2. “Your crappy pictures and discount rates are lowering the standards for us professional photographers.”

A rule of thumb in any purchase is that you get what you pay for. I really can’t see what the “professionals” are so worried about. People may be tempted by a cheaper session fee and the ability to print at Walgreens, but they will be let down in quality. And if they don’t know that they are getting poor quality, someone else will. A business won’t grow if it isn’t providing a quality product. Let’s say that a potential client goes online and compares three photographers. Photog A offers all of your images on a disc for $10.00. Wow, what a steal right? Photog B offers all of your images on a disc for $250.00. Um, excuse me? Photog C doesn’t even offer your images on disc, you have to order by print only. Immediately, the client is drawn to Photog A, right? Wrong. While that $10.00 price tag may be enticing, it is also suspicious. Why would Photog B charge so much more? Why doesn’t Photog C even offer a disc? We as businesses have to have more faith in our customers. Not every person who comes along is after the cheaper deal. A smart customer is after the best investment of their money. What will determine their final decision is who offers the product at the quality they want, with a price tag that makes sense. If that client chooses Photog A because of the bargain they think they are getting, do you really want that person as a client anyway?

3. “I can’t believe you edit your pictures with actions and filters. The BEST photographers get the image they want SOOC (straight out of camera) with no cut and copied style to it. Be original for crying out loud.”

I highly doubt that those professionals have gotten the ideal image out of their camera on every single shot they have ever taken. We’ve all had to edit, either digitally or in the darkroom. And sometimes exploring someone else’s style, via action, filter, set up, pose, and/or prop, is the best way to arrive at your own style. I’m not saying that this is always the case. There are those photogs out there who steal creative ideas from others, but they aren’t necessarily amateurs. Even the technically best photographers are the least creative. Stealing an idea happens in every business. We unfortunately cannot copyright every single good idea we have. Yes, we will see a million newborns in a basket. We will find almost every baby in a knit hat. We will see lots of toddlers in tutus. Get over it. It’s not like every shot we have executed was our original idea. In terms of If stylized images, if they aren’t your thing, then move on and DO your thing instead of viciously criticizing someone else’s. Okay, I get it. I know that images with selective coloring are twenty minutes ago or whatever, but maybe that’s what a client wanted. And if it isn’t, then how is that photog supposed to know that? Someone needs to tell them, TACTFULLY. Don’t hack their photo from their site, lazily blur out their business name and proceed to tear them apart. If that photographer were to come across that site and that image, they would be crushed. It’s not a matter of taking constructive criticism. It’s being virtually bullied into doubting your potential to become a great photographer. It could make or break a person’s drive to succeed. And bottom line, it’s immature. I realize that we all need to have the ability to laugh at ourselves, but not giving a person a chance to grow, that’s the biggest insult of all.

For those of us who constantly encounter this kind of criticism, keep your head up. Ask advice and listen. Watch and forever be willing to learn something new. Be confident but stay grounded. And remember where you came from. Because somewhere, someone is where you have been at some point in your career and they need your guidance and encouragement.

The above is my stand on the issues presented. If I’m not seeing something from another perspective, please share with me. You have the right to disagree, so long as you can disagree tastefully.

I can’t wait to hear from you! And thank you so much for supporting Thinking Outside the Lens.

Somer