A lot of the time you may have an idea for a shoot but aren't too sure about taking control of your camera. This may be frustrating and cause you to waste a lot of time, going back and forwards. So to start off, I will try my best to point you in the right direction. As this photo jargon and terminology might be a bit confusing. There are actually only three controls which you should get your head around before taking that all important first shot. These are the shutter speed, ISO and aperture. This should stop you from keeping it on auto all the time. After all you didn't purchase a SLR digital camera, to let the camera have all the fun and do all the work. You want to experiment and build your own manual SLR skills.

ISO

This stands for the International Standards Organisation and it refers to the camera's sensitivity setting. The ISO sets the sensitivity of the camera's sensor. The sensor being the micro chip that records, measures and controls the sensitivity of light from a given scene. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your camera will be to light. The higher the ISO, the less the amount of light required to make an exposure. Basically meaning that you will need less light to capture a bright shot. The lower the ISO the more light you will need. As an ISO value doubles so does its sensitivity this is commonly known as a stop. The typical ISO stops are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200. One point to remember, although it may sound great that you are using a higher ISO. It does have its own negative draw backs and side effects. The higher the ISO the more grainy and misty and speckled your picture will be. This is known as digital noise. And can cause a lot of headaches when trying to cleaning up and edit an image at a later date. So be careful to monitore your control settings on the day of you shoot. A lower ISO will deliver a finer more in tune quality. The image will appear more real in its appearance. Giving off a silky smooth and sharp colour, contrast and tone. A rule of thumb would be to always use the lowest ISO you possibly can.

Aperture

Put simply, inside every camera lens there is an iris that regulates the amount of light which may enter the camera by increasing or decreasing its size. A smaller aperture lets less light in and directly affects the exposure duration, indicating that a longer shutter speed will be required. A point to remember, the aperture also decides how much of your shot is in sharp focus. This can mean finer close up details or distant details on the horizon. This is what is classified as depth of sharpness or what is commonly termed the Depth-of-field. A small aperture will give a photographer the greatest depth-of-field i.e. F22 ideal for country side or landscape pictures. Where as a wide aperture F4 for example will create a blurred background, with a greater preference to the focus and sharpness of the object close to the camera. This aperture is perfect for portraits. It seems to contradict its self, I know. But once you get your head around this basic concept. Your digital skills will increase. Just remember, that as the f/stop value increase the physical diameter of the aperture decreases. If you are still confused, please visit the photography course here:-

Exposure control:- Click here

Shutter speed

Lets first look at the shutter. This is a small mechanical curtain in side the camera casing. This controls the length of time the sensor is exposed to light which is entering the lens to make an exposure. The shutter speed will allow a photographer to decide the exact length of time that the shutter is held open. Used in conjunction with the aperture, will assist in determining the amount of light that will reach the sensor. The shutter speed influences the degree of subject movement. A slow shutter speed will blur movement whilst fast speeds will freeze it. Shutter speeds are represented in fractions of a second. This sequence is as follows;- 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/30, 1/50, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000.

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