Photography - putting it all together

Okay, I hope I gave you enough time to absorb the ISO/Aperture/SS individually. I think a few started to see how they all connect, and relate to one another. As I was studying, I read about an illustration that can give you a picture in your mind for this.

Picture a bucket of water and water faucet.

The water is the light. The bucket is the film/digital sensor.

The water faucet opening is the aperture.

The flow of water (the length of time it flows) is the shutter speed.

Let's say you have a medium size bucket (ISO400), and you have an average open (aperture 8.0), and your water flows into the bucket for an "average" time. If you were to make your bucket larger and keep filling it from the same faucet, then obviously you will need to keep the water flowing longer (you have a longer shutter speed). However, if you make your bucket larger, and then you move to a LARGER opening faucet, then your water flow would not need to increase (it might even need to decrease depending on how much things changed).

Likewise, if you made the bucket REALLY big and then moved to fill it up from a water hose (itty bitty opening), then you would need to keep the water flowing for a LONG time.

The "math" of it is, if you double the size of your bucket and keep the faucet the same, you need to double the water flow length. If you keep the same bucket, but double the faucet, you need to halve the amount of time the water flows.

Is that clear as mud? Visualize it...it might help. Or I could have just totally and completely confused you.


That's the "review" and "recap" of the first lessons.

I'm going to stop focusing on the "shooting in manual" modes for the most part from this point on. I will probably mention it at some point though. IF you have any questions, please let me know. I'm available by email (and with prior contact, by phone).

Photoshop, DOF, lens discussion, how to get catchlights, best places in your house for finding the light, and tips or tricks. ;)