Understanding Cameras

The camera model I will be using to capture all my images is the Canon 650D. It is crucial that I understand how to use the camera in order to achieve particular effects in my photographs such as light levels, exposure and Zoom.

How do specific settings influence photographs?

1. Aperture -  the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens that can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the sensor. By increasing the aperture size, it lets in more light, which is useful for photographs taken at night or in low light where there is little/no natural light from the sun. Furthermore, it can affect the depth of field at which a photo is captured. The lower the f/ setting, the lower the depth of field that is achieved.
   
   
2. Shutter Speed - the unit of measurement which determines how long shutter remains open as the picture is taken. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time. The shutter speed and aperture together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. 
   
   Shutter speeds are expressed in seconds or fractions of a second. For example 2, 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000, 1/8000. Each speed increment halves the amount of light.
   
3. ISO - measurement of the sensitivity of the image sensor. Setting ISO levels tells the camera the amount of light needed for good exposure. The lower the ISO value, the more light required.The more light that's required, the more likely a slow shutter speed will have to be used. That means low ISO's, like 100 or 200, are most often used in bright situations (like sunlight). If you don't have a lot of light, or need a fast shutter speed, you would probably raise the ISO.
4. Lens - the part of the camera through which the light travels before it reaches the sensor. Depending on the type of lens, you can capture more or less of an image at a further distance or at a higher speed. Zoom and Wide angle lenses are particularly great for outdoor and architectural photography where they encapsulate large sections of an image. Portrait lenses are used for specifically for capturing photos with a human element; this is because they have a short lens arrangement that minimizes the distortion between the image and the sensor. So they are good for close-up shots as they also have low depth of field, producing great amount of detail.