Understanding the Photography Exposure Triangle

The Exposure Triangle Explained

Think of the exposure triangle as your camera's control centre - it's made up of three settings that work together to determine how your photo looks. These three elements are aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Here's the crucial bit: when you change one setting, it affects the other two. It's like a seesaw - everything needs to stay balanced to get a properly exposed photo. Master this balance, and you'll never take another accidentally dark or overly bright photo again.

The diagram shows how each setting affects brightness. Moving towards the "brighter" end of each scale lets more light into your camera, whilst moving away reduces the light. ISO ranges from 100 to 1,600 (and beyond), shutter speed from fast $1/250$ to slow $1/4$, and aperture from wide $f/2.8$ to narrow $f/22$.

Quick Tip: Start by learning one setting at a time, then practise adjusting the others to compensate. Soon it'll become second nature!