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So, Let’s talk photography.

What are the basics you need to know.

I think there’s 5 things you need to know.

1. Shutter Speed
2. Aperture
3. Iso
4. Depth of Field
5. Framing

1. Shutter Speed: Pretty self explanatory here. Shutter speed is about how long the shutter stays open for. The longer it is open the more light comes in. Most photos are taken with a shutter speed measured in tenths or hundredths of a second. The shutters are inside your camera, directly in front of the sensor.
Shutter speed controls how much of the action is frozen. At 1/200th of a second human motion is generally frozen, at shutter speeds slower than 1/60th of a second the human heartbeat can introduce camera shake.

2. Aperture: How wide the iris of the lens is. This is important. The Aperture is controlled by the lens, so the available apertures will change with your lens. The wider your iris is open, the more light can get in. Aperture also controls the depth of field. This is due to the alignment of light rays.
In simple terms a focused lens will align parallel light rays.
A wide aperture means many non parallel light rays enter the lens and show as out of focus objects.
A narrow aperture prevents these non parallel rays from entering the camera. They collide with the iris. This means more parallel light rays reach your sensor, which makes more of your image in focus.
But obviously a narrow aperture lets in less light.
Aperture is measured in F-Stops. Each F-stop lets in half the light of the previous f-stop.
Wait……… bigger numbers means less light? Yes. Aperture is a measure of how much you “restrict” the iris. So a higher number means you restrict it more.

3. ISO: This is a setting relating to how sensitive your sensor is to light. Like most aspects of photography, ISO settings are doubled. from 25-3200.
The common range is from ISO 100 to 1600.
As ISO increases, so does “noise” or random coloured pixels in your image. A higher ISO means the sensor “reacts” more to less light.
ISO can be controlled digitally. However on a film camera, ISO is controlled by the film. So if you choose a 200 ISO film, you need to adjust when shooting. Your film is twice as sensitive to light as an ISO 100 film.

Now these three together form the “mechanics” of the camera. And they all work in “stops”.
F4 to F5.6 is one stop and lets in half as much light.
F4 to F8 is two stops and lets in one quarter as much light.

But how do I use a wide aperture for a smaller depth of field. Won’t this let in more light?
Yes it will, Aperture and Shutter speed both work in stops. The scale is simple. If you move aperture one stop down, move your shutter speed one stop up.
F11 at 1/60 second might be a crystal clear shot in your lighting setup. But you want less in focus. Every stop you move the Aperture wider, simply move the shutter speed one stop slower.
F4 is 3 stops wider. So shutter speed moves to 1/250 second.

This shot is lit the same as the first, however the shallower depth of field puts less in focus. Highlighting the “focus” of yor image.

This section has been rewritten due to an appalling example used by me. Thanks DSankt for pointing it out. Seems I know the science behind it all, but the actual f-number scale was a mystery. Curse me being taught using a camera supporting 1/3 stops.
4. Depth of Field: Depth of field is literally a measurement of focus. The “field” is defined as the range between the closest item in focus and the furthest. Depth of field is controlled by camera aperture.
At f2 depth of field is likely to be only a few inches.
At f22 depth of field is likely to be measured in feet.
The advantage of depth of field is focus. With a large depth of field (narrow aperture) large portions of your image will be in focus, this can be useful for landscapes.
A narrow depth of field will blur your background bringing your focus to precisely where you want it. This can be commonly used in portraiture for reclining shots. A focused face with the body blurred into the background.

5.Framing: Framing a nice photo isn’t going to be explained in 3 lines. But I can give you some key tips to improve your images.
Look into the rule of thirds. The focus of your image should be on a point.
Where are the points….. Imagine your image divide into thirds. horizontally and vertically.
Avoid the centre square. Yes there are times when it works, presume there isn’t.
Use depth of field to your advantage. Low aperture for a shot focused on one thing. Wide aperture for more in focus.
And the horizon. Three horizontal lines divide your image, like a piece of paper folder twice. ≡ like this.
You’re horizon will dictate the “scale” of your image.
Placed on the top line, most of your image is earth and a small part sky, this seems closed in and small.
Placed on the bottom lin, most of your image is sky and a small part earth, this feels wide and open.

It’s a quick cursory explanation, but it’s the basics of photography and it should be what you need to get started, or to be brave enough to flick to a new dial on your camera.