Exposure
The basics of exposure– how dark or bright to make your photos:
If too dark | Increase ISO | ISO 100→ISO 1600 |
Lower f-stop | f/8→f/2.8 | |
Slow down shutter-speed | 1/500th→1/125th | |
If too bright | Lower ISO | ISO 1600→ISO 100 |
Increase f-stop | f/2.8→f/8 | |
Increase shutter-speed | 1/125th→1/500th |
Depth of field
Depth of field is how much of your photos is sharp and in-focus; and how much of your photos is blurry and out-of-focus.
Everything in focus
If you want everything in your photograph to be sharp and in-focus, use an aperture/f-stop between f/8-f/16.
If you are shooting landscapes, shoot between f/8-f/16. An easy way to remember: a higher f-stop number for more depth.
Blurry background
If you want your subject to be sharp (but the background blurry, what they call ‘bokeh’) use an aperture/f-stop between f/1.8-f/2.8.
If you are shooting portraits (or a wine glass), shoot between f/1.8-f/2.8. An easy way to remember: a lower f-stop number for less depth.
Focus
If your camera has autofocus; I recommend to use it. It is often more accurate than manual-focus, and faster.
To have more control over your autofocus, I recommend using center-point autofocus. That means whatever you point at in the center of the frame will be focused.