I love Oreos.
So do my kids.
In the afternoons I can often be found sneaking into the pantry to grab a pack of yummy Double Stuffed. But then, almost without fail, after getting a few cookies in my mouth my two boys see me and they want some too. What’s a mom to do?
Since I have a magical sickness ability to equate almost anything I do with photography and/or scrapbooking, I started thinking about how this Oreo dilemma is a lot like exposure on a camera. Come on, stick with me a minute before you think I am totally crazy.
Our packs of Double Stuffs come with 12 cookies. However, in my package there are only 10 cookies left (since I managed to stuff two in my mouth before I was caught by the cookie police). There are three of us who want cookies. They have to be split somehow. Three piles for three people.
I could split them the way I really want to (one for them and the rest for me).
I could split them the “fair” way and give them each four and me two (since I already had two!)
I could give them three each, feel like I was sharing well, and still get four more for myself (after all, they don’t know I’ve already eaten two!)
I could also give them each one or two and put the rest away but since I am trying to realistic right now and that never happens, we’ll just skip that option. It doesn’t fit in my illustration anyway.
So, no matter how I split them up, I still get to the total of 10. It doesn’t matter if I give
5 to me + 3 to Caleb + 2 to Levi or
6 to Levi +1 to Caleb +3 to me or
4 to Caleb + 2 to Levi + 4 to me
It all still adds up to 10. Now this is how it is like exposure. Exposure on a camera is dependent on three things:
- Aperture
- Shutter Speed
- ISO
They can be put together in different ways and still all add up to a correct exposure.
Look at these three pictures. They were all taken with different settings (all in manual mode) and yet all achieved a good, basic exposure. That’s because these three things (aperature, shutter speed, and ISO) all work together and add up to a good exposure. Just like it didn’t matter how I split the cookies up, it doesn’t matter how these three things are combined, they all still add up to a good exposure. Add more to one area and you have to adjust the others. Take some away from one and the others have to be changed to make the the final outcome “add up to the total.”
___________
So, now you may be wondering why it matters? If it all adds up to the same thing, what does it matter what settings are what?
Well, let’s go back to my Oreos for a moment (please forgive me, my mind is on Oreos and my little photo shoot is still sitting next to me and I can’t tell you how tempted I am to throw all principles out the window and give all ten cookies to myself!)
I said it doesn’t matter how I split the cookies up. And that is true. No matter what I do the total will be the same. However, the effect of the outcome would be different. If I give 10 to me and none to them, my wasteline will not be pleased. If I give 4 to each of the boys and 2 to me, my waistline might be saved but the boys dinner will be ruined. The total amount of cookies consumed would be the same, but the effects of those cookies would have on the people who consumed them would be very different.
And so it is with exposure. Exposure, the combination of aperature, shutterspeed, and ISO is all about LIGHT and how that LIGHT affects your photos. Aperature affects how MUCH light comes into your photo, shutter speed affects how LONG that light comes into your photo, and the ISO affects how how well your photo soaks up the light. You can mix and match these magic three ingredients in lots of ways to get a correct exposure, but the effect of the way you mix them up with drastically change your photos.
Now, I promise you a few things:
- We will talk about how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed affect your photos in future posts
- I am not a professional photographer
- I do not claim to know a whole lot about photography
- There are LOTS of professional photographers out there who try to explain this concept.
- I always read their descriptions and wonder why they didn’t just write in English. Even Bryan Peterson’s “worker bees” illustration in Understanding Exposure left me scratching my head and headed back to Auto mode.
- I will try very hard to explain these things in simple ways and in digestible amounts.
- If I find that someone has already explained it very well I will link you to their post rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
- I am open to correction and further explanation from those who know more than I do.
- Once you start shooting in manual mode you will almost never want to go back. I say almost, because I think there are some situations where auto or semi-auto modes are better or more practical. We will get to those.
- I only had nine promises and the list felt incomplete. So I added a number 10.
Share This Using…
I absolutely loved how you explained this and I can’t wait for more. I have been wanting to learn how to use manual mode for quite sometime. thanks for sharing.
O-hhhh
R-idiculously
E-asy
O-reo
S-chool
LOL!!!
Thanks so much!
Keep it up…we oreo minds think better in “Sweet Talk!”
I LOVE how you did this!!!!!! (and now I’m craving oreos! I just called Tyler & told him to bring some home @ lunch! I’m gonna use them in a session this afternoon!)
Love the analogy! I got my new camera for Christmas and I don’t seem to really get the pictures I want. at least they don’t work out the way I thought they would whan I scrap… Can’t wait for your next post!
Have you seen the new oreos that are shaped like big straws!? I can justify anything now, because milk is good for you, right?!?
Thanks for the camera tutorial…I’m looking forward to the next explanations… maybe I’ll learn it this time!
Hooray! I’m looking forward to learning more about yummy treats, er, photography pointers! I really need to get out of program mode!
Now I want some oreos too lol. Again… thank you for this great site and all the inspiration!
Hi Janet – I enjoyed your Oreo story and examples — why not use something fun to explain something complex!
I yearn for simple instructions to help it make sense – some “standard” that I can “go to”…especially under time constraints or pressure.
Now, I get all 3 concepts in limited ways with ISO being the easiest to understand (prob. since I can relate it to shooting the old/film way), and shutter speed coming next (amount of time it’s open allows more or less light based on speed), and yes aperature (size/opening)…..but actually combining the 2 concepts (shutter with aperature) into practice once I’m in manual is the tough one.
So if possible, could you please start us with a basic scenario for taking photos indoors in a darkish room – let’s say using 800 as a standard or something similar so we don’t have to think about all 3 and can just have to deal with the “other” 2 (knowing that some cameras can be higher ISO of course).
So then what – the kids are fooling around, the adults are yelling to “HURRY UP” or “What? another photo?”….so I end up going right to auto. What could I do instead if the ISO is already set at 800. Go to aperature setting, then what? This is where I get totally lost and unsure when time is crunched. I fall back to the dreaded auto., or I get mediocre-dark photos which get lightened in PS. It works, but what could I do better….? How about a “fallback” simple formula (if there is such a thing?).
I would literally kiss your feet if you could help! Or at least buy you a giant bag of Oreos that you don’t have to share….
Thank you!
Colleen
Chi-Girl
You so crack me up, Janet. Loved this class
– I have to make sure I came back for the next installment. I am so with you on the manual settings – once you have a taste for them, you always try new things. Although I do like Bryan Peterson’s books, I am not there to understand all of it 
LOL you totally rock, my brain could digest this!!
Oh Yea!!! Now you’re talkin’ my kind of language!! Thank you so much for explaining this so “edible-ly”! Er…I mean eloquently!! LOL!
I can’t tell you how much I love your site!! Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!!
Love to learn more, thanks for giving it to me in a way I’m able to understand.
Can’t wait to take the step out of auto mode!! Looking forward to next photo class.
I’m really glad not to be the only mom who doesn’t always really feel like sharing her favourite sweets with her kids!
Unfortunatly me kids have got very fine noses an will stand there sniffing and asking: “Mommy it smells like vanille / chocolate… here. Is that you?”
I lover oreos too, but they are pretty hard to get here in Germany.
I really enjoyed your post and even though you might not be a professional photographer I would be totally satisfied if my pictures where nearly as good as yours. So I’m eager to learn what ever you have in store for us (loved yesterdays tutorial on making the eyes pop)and look forward to my 5 minutes relax time here every day. Thank you so much for your wonderful work!
I’m looking forward to reading this! I too have trouble with the books and always run screaming back to auto!
Oh, and I can relate to the oreos.
I always enjoy reading your posts. as with doing 365 I started to lean something more about my cam. sometimes I use the manual things but without knowing what I do LOL – so I am looking forward to your next steps!
Awesome visuals!! This was something I didn’t get for a long time when I started doing serious photography. Thanks for sharing this for all the new photogs so they don’t have to waste hours trying to figure it out on their own!
Thanks for your explanation, very informative and digestable. Now you got me think of oreos too ^_^
doramiyi
Totally *LOVE* your analogy … will never look at Oreos the same again
I love your analogy. I can understand anything in oreo language.
Love this illustration. I’m slowly learning that ISO is an important partner with aperature and shutter speed. I used to think those were the only two things that had to be mastered. What I would really find helpful is a quick reference card that I can keep in my camera bag that reminds me how the numbers compare. When I get my camera out and see all those decimals and fractions my mind just goes into math shock.
My brother was a photographer and used to use a bathtub analogy where ISO is the size of the tub. A & SS had to do with the size of the spigot and the water pressure or amount of time to fill the tub. Something like that. I can’t remember the details right now.
Looking forward to more articles on this topic.
I like how you think! I look forward to future photography tips from you…you have a knack for teaching!
By the way, have I mentioned that I love this site!
I love the way you explained this so far, and I’m looking forward to more information. I have so much to learn about photography, but I’m enjoying the journey. Thanks for your perspective on it!
Love #10!! Thanks for the tips about manual settings. That’s definitely an area that I know nothing about!
I’m so excited for your future posts. You have a real gift for writing and explaining things so clearly. THANK YOU!
Wow! And my husband swears that no other adult eats Oreo cookies! Thank you! Oh…and the photography lesson is a nice bonus!
I can’t wait to come back and learn more…thank you!
I’m still a point and shoot girl, though my camera allows me to change settings and I’m hoping to upgrade to DSLR sometime. Pioneer Woman has some great articles about ISO/exposure/aperture that made sense to me.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/category/basic-photography/what-the-heck/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/category/basic-photography/exposure/
Wow. I get it. Thank you soooo much!
Heh-heh… You said “in digestible amounts.” Does that mean you’ll be using more yummy food in future photography posts?
*wanders off to look for cookies*
This is a great explanation. To help me decide, first I think about the lighting. Then I think about what is the most important aspect I want to achieve: depth of field or shutter speed (or camera shake if I don’t have my gorilla pod handy.) Then I think about the ISO and how crisp versus grainy I want my photo. (I tend to lean toward crisp, 99% of the time, so I aim for the lowest possible ISO.) Then I fit it all together.
I am TOTALLY with you on semi-automatic, though! I {heart} Av mode.
Candice Stringham has a wonderful set of rulers that are a great “cheat sheet” to help coordinate Aperture and Shutter speeds. Her class at JessicaSprague.com was very helpful.
I love stopping by each day to learn something new. Although I loved reading this article & someday I aspire to own & use a manual camera, I would love photography tips on using a plain ol’ point & shoot digital camera. I’ve had a hard time finding any good tips on getting good photos from one, so I’ve just been winging it!
You crack me up!! You may just convince me to try manual sometime soon.
I am so glad you are going to do this, Janet. I am a pretty sharp gal (tons of computer experience, college-level course work, medical experience, etc.), but for some reason, manual photography has not “clicked” into my brain! I’m looking forward to your simplified approach – hopefully it will sink in
I am so excited to read your tutorials about all of this–I want so badly to take better pictures, but get so overwhelmed! thanks!
This was funny and informative all at the same time. I look forward to more info. I have found the manual setting for my camera, I know what each of them are, but I have no clue what setting to put them on and in what situations, kwim? And you are right, most photography tutorials are in alien speak.
PS, do you have a blinkie for us to put on our blogs?