Photography Cheat Sheet

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UNDERSTAND
PHOTOGRAPHY
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FOR BEGINNERS
The Exposure Triangle
00
f/2
32
.8
00
f/4
16
Ap f/8
f/5
0
ISO
ert f/1
.6
80
ure 1
0
40
0
20
f/2
0
2
10
1/750 1/500 1/250 1/125 1/60 1/30

Shutter Speed
The exposure triangle is the foundation for understanding

photography. Every camera (even your camera phone)
utilizes three elements - Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO
- and balances them to create an "exposure," or image.
When you shoot in auto mode your camera makes the

decisions for you of how to balance the three elements of
the exposure triangle based on the scene you are
photographing and the light available.
When you shoot in manual mode you get to do the thinking

and choose the best settings for the lighting you are in and
for the effect you want to achieve.
Here's how each leg of the

exposure triangle affects your
photos:
ISO
Your camera’s ISO setting determines how sensitive your
camera’s sensor (the part inside your camera that captures
an image) is to light.
How It Affects Exposure: The higher you set your ISO, the
more light your camera will be able to "gather."
How It Affects Your Image: The higher your ISO setting,

the noisier/grainier your image will be.
The image below was shot at a high ISO. When you zoom
in you can see the noise caused by the high ISO setting:
Rule of Thumb: Keep your ISO as low as possible. If

shooting in bright light start with a low setting, such as
100. If shooting in dim light, such as indoors, start with a
higher ISO setting, such as 800.
Aperture
ISO(f/stop)
Aperture, also known as f/stop refers to the opening inside
your camera that allows light to pass through to the camera
sensor. The f/stop number, expressed as a fraction, refers to
how “wide open” or “closed down” that opening is.
How It Affects Exposure: The lower your f/stop number the

more light your camera will be able to gather.
How It Affects Your Image: The lower your f/stop number,

the blurrier your background will be. The higher your f/stop
number, the more the background will be in focus.
f/10 = sharper background
f/2.8 = blurry background

Aperture (f/stop)
ISO cont'd
f/2.8 = blurry background
Aperture is the camera setting responsible for the beautiful blurry

backgrounds you see in professional photos.
Rule of Thumb: Choose a lower f/stop number for a blurrier

background. f/3.5 or f/4.0 is a good starting point for
beginners.
Blurrier Background
Sharper Background
f/2.8 • f/3.2 • f/4 • f/5.6 • f/8 • f/11 • f/16 • f/22
More Light Reaching Sensor Less Light Reaching Sensor

Shutter
ISO Speed
Shutter speed is the amount of time, expressed in fractions of
a second, that the shutter stays open when you press the
shutter button.
How It Affects Exposure: The faster your shutter speed, the

less light your camera will be able to gather. The slower
your shutter speed the more light your camera will be able
to gather.
How It Affects Your Image: A fast shutter speed will freeze

motion. A slow shutter speed will capture motion blur.
Shutter Speed 1/800 = Sharp Photo
Shutter Speed 1/60 = Blurry Photo
Rule of Thumb: Keep your shutter speed at or above 1/125

to avoid motion blur and keep your photos sharp.
Blurred Motion Sharp Photo

30 • 15 • 1 • 1/15 • 1/30 • 1/60 • 1/125 • 1/160 • 1/250 • 1/500 • 1/1000
More Light Reaching Sensor Less Light Reaching Sensor

A Quick Exercise
ISO
The best way to understand your camera settings is to try
them out. Photography terms sound like a foreign language to
beginners for one simple reason: photography can't be learned
by reading. It's learned and understood by doing.
With that in mind, let's do a quick learning exercise to help

you understand how the aperture (f/stop) setting affects your
photos:
1. Find the dial on top of your camera and turn it to

aperture priority mode. This is a semi-automatic mode that
allows you to control only your f/stop setting.
Depending on your camera

this may look like an "A" or
an "AV". Consult your camera
manual if you're unsure.
2. Find and press the "Q" button (one Canon cameras) or

the "i" button (on Nikon cameras). This button allows you
to access and change your camera settings quickly. If your
camera has no such button you will need to go into your
camera menu to make this next change (there should be a
"menu" button on your camera).
Use the multi-selector wheel on the back of your camera to

scroll up, down, left and right through the menu options
until you find the "metering mode" menu.
Here's what this looks like on my camera (see next page):

A Quick Exercise
ISO (cont'd)
multi-selector
wheel
Q button to enter
menu
metering mode
menu
3. Select the metering mode menu (it will probably be set

to "evaluative metering" by default). Change it to "spot
metering." This setting will look like a single dot in the
middle of a square. Press "enter" or "ok" to select the
change.
choose spot
metering mode
When you use spot metering mode your camera will use
only the subject of your photo to set proper exposure. It's
more accurate and gives you better control.
A Quick Exercise
ISO (cont'd)
4. Place an object (a teacup works nicely) on a table
adjacent to but facing a window. Place another larger
object close behind it. Here's a sample set up:
near a window
what I'm
photographing,
facing the window
larger object close

behind
5. Make sure your lens is zoomed all the way out. With the
light from the window to your back and your camera in
Aperture Priority mode, look through the viewfinder and
place your CENTER focal point (or points) over the object
(that is, compose your image so that your subject is in the
middle of the image).
6. Turn the "command dial" on the top

of your camera to the left and right to
raise and lower the f/stop number.
Look through the viewfinder and you'll
see the f/stop number changing. It will
look like F 3.5, or just 3.5.
7. Keeping your center focal point on your subject, lower

the f/stop number to f/3.5 and take a photo. If your lens
allows, lower it more and take another shot. Now raise the
f/stop number to f/5.6 and take a photo. Raise it higher if
your lens allows and take another shot.
A Quick Exercise
ISO (cont'd)
8. Review your images on the back of your camera. Note
the difference between how blurry the background is in
the 2 images (zoom in to see it better). The image taken at
f/3.5 will yield a blurrier background than the image taken
at f/5.6. That's the power of aperture!
f/3.5
f/5.6
A Quick Exercise
ISO (cont'd)
9. Point your camera at your subject once more and look
through the viewfinder. There's another number you'll see
going up and down as you adjust your aperture setting.
That's your shutter speed. Notice the relationship
between your shutter speed and your aperture settings.
The higher your f/stop number goes, the slower your

shutter speed has to be to let in more light. If it's too slow,
your photo may be blurry.
A lower f/stop number allows more light to enter the

camera, so the shutter speed can be set faster at f/3.5 than
at f.5.6. A faster shutter speed yields a sharper photo.
High
Five,
Friend!
You did
it!
You've accomplished something BIG! You've adjusted your

camera settings and learned a bit more about how they work
together. You understand your camera better now because
you've learned it by DOING.
Aperture and shutter speed sound a bit less like a foreign

language now, don't they?
If that's exciting for you, I invite you to take the next step...
Learn Manual
ISO Mode
Shooting in manual mode means taking control of all your
camera settings and balancing all three legs of the exposure
triangle to get correct exposure and the most beautiful
photo possible.
Learning to shoot in manual mode is the

secret to amazing photos!
I believe you can master your camera

and confidently capture beautiful
memories.
If you're ready to learn manual mode

photography, Love Your Photos 101 is the
digital photography course for beginners that
will get you shooting confidently in manual
mode.
Keep your eyes open for the next time the

course opens, coming soon!
Download Your ISO
FREE Cheat Sheet
Be sure to download your FREE
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Photography Cheat Sheet HERE
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EASY TO

1/750 1/500 1/250 1/125 1/60 1/30

The exposure triangle is the foundation for understanding

When you shoot in auto mode your camera makes the

When you shoot in manual mode you get to do the thinking

Here's how each leg of the

How It Affects Your Image: The higher your ISO setting,

Rule of Thumb: Keep your ISO as low as possible. If

How It Affects Exposure: The lower your f/stop number the

How It Affects Your Image: The lower your f/stop number,

f/10 = sharper background

f/2.8 = blurry background

f/2.8 = blurry background

Aperture is the camera setting responsible for the beautiful blurry

Rule of Thumb: Choose a lower f/stop number for a blurrier

f/2.8 • f/3.2 • f/4 • f/5.6 • f/8 • f/11 • f/16 • f/22

More Light Reaching Sensor Less Light Reaching Sensor

How It Affects Exposure: The faster your shutter speed, the

How It Affects Your Image: A fast shutter speed will freeze

Shutter Speed 1/800 = Sharp Photo

Shutter Speed 1/60 = Blurry Photo

Rule of Thumb: Keep your shutter speed at or above 1/125

Blurred Motion Sharp Photo

More Light Reaching Sensor Less Light Reaching Sensor

With that in mind, let's do a quick learning exercise to help

1. Find the dial on top of your camera and turn it to

Depending on your camera

2. Find and press the "Q" button (one Canon cameras) or

Use the multi-selector wheel on the back of your camera to

Here's what this looks like on my camera (see next page):

3. Select the metering mode menu (it will probably be set

larger object close

6. Turn the "command dial" on the top

7. Keeping your center focal point on your subject, lower

The higher your f/stop number goes, the slower your

A lower f/stop number allows more light to enter the

You've accomplished something BIG! You've adjusted your

Aperture and shutter speed sound a bit less like a foreign

Learning to shoot in manual mode is the

I believe you can master your camera

If you're ready to learn manual mode

Keep your eyes open for the next time the

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