Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO: Read the Trade-Offs
Camera settings are easier to understand when each has a job. Choose the look you need, then decide which setting can compensate.
Read the complete guide ↗Notice the light.
Make the photograph.
Understand aperture, shutter speed, focus and composition through practical still-photography exercises and clear examples.
Explore the detailed guides ↗Clear explanations · Worked examples · Practical tools
Editorial photograph: Jason Leung / Unsplash. Illustrative scene; not a photograph of our own testing.
THE PRACTICAL LIBRARYUnderstand the detail.
Understand the detail.
Choose your next step.
Six complete guides.
Shutter Speed and Motion Blur: A Three-Frame Practice
A shutter speed is a duration, not a universal promise of sharpness. Subject movement, camera movement and framing affect the result.
Read the complete guide ↗
Depth of Field: Change Distance Before Buying a New Lens
Background softness is influenced by more than the aperture number. Start with the arrangement of camera, subject and background.
Read the complete guide ↗
Window-Light Still Life: Build a Simple Photograph at Home
One window and a stationary subject are enough for a useful light experiment. Change the direction of light before adding equipment.
Read the complete guide ↗
A Composition Edge Check: Improve the Frame Before Pressing the Shutter
A composition does not become clear because a grid is visible. Check what the frame includes, what it cuts off and where your attention goes.
Read the complete guide ↗
Review a Photo Contact Sheet and Choose the Frame with Evidence
Selecting a photograph is a separate skill from taking it. A small contact sheet makes patterns and differences easier to compare.
Read the complete guide ↗A useful answer.
A reason behind it.
Read the explanation, inspect the example and use the checklist at your own pace. Our guides make assumptions visible and explain when a general suggestion may not fit. How this journal is made ↗