How do I choose between shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and flash to brighten an image?
Asked 8/27/2013
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If a photo is too dark, I know I can increase exposure by using a slower shutter speed, a wider aperture, a higher ISO, or by adding flash/light. How do I decide which method to use in different situations? What are the trade-offs of each option?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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Each option has an effect on your image (and you can do a little of each as well), which you choose is a matter of choice.
Longer exposures, will create blur in moving objects (or in some cases make them disappear), this can be pleasing as in water around stones or a bit of motion blur with a baseball bat, or distracting (someone's face being blurred is rarely desirable).
Wider apertures decrease depth of field, great with some portraits, and other times a problem, e.g. some landscape work/macro.
Increase the ISO, depending on your camera how far you can go here will vary, but at some point all current cameras will become an ugly mess of noisy with low dynamic range if you go too far.
Flash, on axis (popup) you will get harsh shadows and a very flat look, as you learn to bounce and use multiple flashes you can shape your light -- controlling light give you tremendous power as a photographer. Of course it requires equipment and is not alway possible (high school coaches seem to freak out if I show up with a trunk of lighting gear in their gym).
Reflectors, hot lights, LED lights, moving your subject closer to lighting sources...
Which you pick, depends on what you are trying to create.
Originally by user20982. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user20982
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one “right” method—each way of increasing exposure changes the image differently, so the best choice depends on your goal.
- slower shutter speed: lets in more light, but increases motion blur from subject movement or camera shake. Useful when blur is acceptable or desired.
- wider aperture: lets in more light, but reduces depth of field. Good when you want background blur; bad when you need more of the scene in focus.
- higher ISO: makes the sensor more sensitive, but adds noise and usually reduces image quality and dynamic range. Often a fallback when you can’t change shutter or aperture.
- flash / more light: often the best technical solution because it gives you more light without forcing those other compromises. But direct on-camera flash can look harsh or flat unless shaped, bounced, or used carefully.
A practical way to decide:
- Choose shutter speed based on motion.
- Choose aperture based on the depth of field you want.
- Add light if possible.
- Raise ISO only as much as needed.
You can also combine small changes in several settings rather than relying on just one.
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