Shutter Speed and Aperture - confusion at its best. Some help pls!!

[JeannieK]

Hi everyone

I still have a bit of confusion understanding shutter speed and aperture - The higher the f-stop the smaller the aperture I is what I've been told and vice versa. I need to fully understand this to get the photos I need, for example a friend of mine has asked me to photograph her family this coming weekend. It will be an outside shoot during the day and perhaps a few photos inside their home but I am worried about the light inside as they have very dark floors and couches. All I have is my canon 400d and standard zoom lense 18-55mm and pop-up flash. How can I make the most of what I have to get the perfect shot I desire.

I know it may seem dumb. But I just can't seem to understand this.

[inkista]

Maybe a visual aid will help.



The bigger the hole, the more light you can grab at once, and the faster the shutter speed you can use.

The f-number is actually a ratio. It's the focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the aperture opening. So, a 50mm lens, set to f/2, has an entrance pupil diameter of 25mm. If it's set to f/4, the opening is 12.5mm across. If it's set to f/8, then the opening is only 6.5mm across. This proportion means the same amount of light for any lens, regardless of focal length. That's why it's easier to use than the actual diameter opening diameter--the ratio won't change if your focal length changes.

Another way of looking at it is that just as 1/2 is bigger than 1/8, f/2 is bigger than f/8.

You are right to be concerned, though, about the indoor shots. This is because your 18-55 lens has a maximum aperture of f/3.5-f/5.6. That means at the 18mm (wide angle) end of the zoom range, the widest you can open up that lens is f/3.5. And that at the 55mm end of the lens, you can only open the lens up to f/5.6.

So, if you find that you're getting motion blur from having to use a slow shutter speed, you might want to try zooming out, and stepping in closer to your subjects. That will get you a little extra aperture to work with. But you may still need to use the flash. What you really want is a lens with a larger max aperture.

[JeannieK]

Thanks so much. You've been a great help.

[wulf]

Your 18-55mm lens probably isn't very "fast" (ie. doesn't open up to the wider apertures shown above), so you might well have to use a higher ISO setting as well. Indoors is feasible but challenging with the equipment you said you have available.

You may be able to do something to help with the lighting they have in their house but be careful to check you are getting suitable white balance. This is particularly difficult if you are blending different types of lighting.

Wulf

[JeannieK]

What setting would work best for my camera - specifically for my family photoshoot I am doing next week?

Thanks so much for all the info. It is more clear to me.

[wulf]

What setting? Probably the practise setting. That's the one where you go out and take some pictures and learn from the experience. In other words, don't rely on working it out in theory before your shoot. Actually take some pictures in similar settings and experiment to see what gives the kind of effects you are after.

Wulf

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by JeannieK

What setting would work best for my camera - specifically for my family photoshoot I am doing next week?

Like Wulf said, nothing can replace practice. Start taking some indoor photos, preferably of moving subjects, and see what happens.

But, you're going to need relatively high shutter speeds which will be difficult to achieve without lighting. The on-camera flash is not a great solution; feel free to use it, but you almost might as well use a P&S with a flash.

- Go to the highest ISO setting possible -- 1600 or 3200. You'll get noise, but noise is better than blurry, unrecognizable subjects.
- Shoot wide open. Set your mode dial to aperture priority (Av) and go as wide as you can, and leave it there.
- The kit lens will severely distort people at its widest, especially as they get near the edges of the frame. You'll want to keep it around 30-40mm for the best balance of speed, distortion, and field of view.

[San_Sebastian]

I know its kind of odd, but one thing that really helped me understand aperture is piercings....

if your ears, nose, or whatever else is pierced it goes under a very similar rule. The higher the number, the smaller the hole. 18 gauge, 19 gauge are about the size of your standard piercing. Then those big god awful gauges people get where you can play basketball through their earlobes are lower gauges like 3, 4, 10...

Or like wire. The higher the gauge on the wire, the thicker the wire and vice versa. Relating aperture to my everyday surroundings was the fastest way for me to learn. Of course it gets strange when you start adding in shutter speed and everything else...

[wilswong]

Originally Posted by JeannieK

Hi everyone

I still have a bit of confusion understanding shutter speed and aperture - The higher the f-stop the smaller the aperture I is what I've been told and vice versa. I need to fully understand this to get the photos I need, for example a friend of mine has asked me to photograph her family this coming weekend. It will be an outside shoot during the day and perhaps a few photos inside their home but I am worried about the light inside as they have very dark floors and couches. All I have is my canon 400d and standard zoom lense 18-55mm and pop-up flash. How can I make the most of what I have to get the perfect shot I desire.

I know it may seem dumb. But I just can't seem to understand this.

Hi Jeannie,

I think I shall give some starting points for you with regards to the situations you are going to face.

Scenariou - Outside During the Day:
Question: What time of the day?

8am to 10am or 2pm to 5pm - Best time to take as the sun is illuminating the sides. Personal favourite time - 4-5pm
10 am to 2pm - Harsh sun and shadows under the eyes. Avoid if possible, if not flash is needed

Settings:
White Balance- Cloudy (i love a bit of yellow tinge to bring out the warmth)
ISO - Depending on the intensity of the sun. But assuming sunny then put it at ISO100, cloudy ISO 400
Aperture - sunny - F16, cloudy - F5.6 Since it is going to be a family shot, and it is not a huge family, the F5.6 would do just fine.
Shutter - allow the camera do the settings. However ensure your shutter do not go down lower than 1/60s (Canon) or 60 (Nikon)

Scenario: Indoors

Since it is going to be kit lens. Then the tripod is definitely necessary.

Flash - I give a tip: Get white baking paper and try to use sticky tape and secure the baking paper in front of the flash. This will reduce the harshness of the flash. If you have an external flash that can tilt, then you can point it towards the ceiling.

Switch on Slow Sync Flash (the flash sign with 's').

Timer- switch on the timer whenever you have a tripod in use. Reduce shake of the camera

Settings - ISO 800-1000.
Aperture - F3.5 , ensure the lens is at the widest...if the subject is too small, take 2-3 steps forward
White balance - set it at auto or flash.

Note: ensure subject is absolutely still until the camera has taken its shot.

Hope the above helps.

[ws_browneyes]

What I would do in your situation is to shoot some manual, as a learning experience and use aperture priority to shoot some others. If my camera had program modes, I'd try those too. Yes it's important to understand exposure and to learn how to use that understanding to create the images you want. There's so much more to photography than just getting the exposure right. Things like composition, finding the right light, interacting with your subjects so they look natural, etc. etc.

The people you're photographing don't care if you shoot fully manual. They care about having great images of their family.