Solving The 3V Equation - Part Uno
In the previous post, The three variable equation, we looked at the fundamental equation of photography. But just knowing isn’t fun is it? Let’s put it to practice and see how we can apply the equation to get some stunning photos. The Art of solving the equation will be a series, with each post focusing on one core fundamental and split for mobile photography and DSLR photography.
Mathematically speaking (if you are not geeky, look away) the easiest way to solve a 3 variable equation is when we have 2 knowns. Let's start with that.
Only one variable is under our control while the other two have been set as constants. In most cases the ISO is assumed to be constant (set at the lowest level for less noise. Depending on the scene, we set the ISO and forget about it as long as the light does not change too drastically). Aperture too is constant, it is set based on the type of photo we are going for. Wide aperture for most portraits and landscapes, rarely (when we really want to set the exact plane of focus) we set it to some other f-stop. This leaves us with Shutterspeed as the variable. With this, we get into various "types" of photography.
- Silhouettes
- Long exposure
- Astrophotography
Diving deeper into what each type is and how we can capture them:
Silhouettes:
The subject hides in the dark, with a light souce behind, outlining only the edges while the rest is hidden in the dark, giving a sense of mystery, leaving the viewer in the dark, a classic trope in literature. Its analogy in photography would be silhouettes.
Something like this is bound to be a “want to take” picture moment and chances are you have already taken such a photo.
Let’s convert this chance into an actual, repeatable formula for DSLRs
Constants: ISO is minimum (usually 100), Aperture as wide as possible. Variable: Shutter speed. Set this according to the background lighting while the plane of focus is on the subject. Best Time to click: Sunrises & Sunset.
Long exposures:
There is something surreal when a drop of ink or paint falls on water. The trail of colour it leaves is mesmerizing to say the least. Imagine doing that with the world we view. Our reality. This is indeed possible and such photos are called long exposures.
We add in the time dimension to space and get ghost-like images where people have leave trails of light, or appear a tad-bit translucent, clouds look eternal, and the sky is filled with thousands of rings made by travelling stars. So how do we do it?
Constants: ISO as low as possible, (as low as we can go during the day and during night we might need higher than 200 ISO). Aperture is fixed based on subject: usually a low aperture of 5.6 would suffice for both near and far off subjects. Variable: Shutterspeed. A low speed here would refer to keeping the shutter open for a few seconds. Playing around with this should give us the shot we desire.
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Thinketh Tripod: The images might be blurred owing to the low shutter speeds. Trust me when I say that even if you stood as still as a statue, your breathing would cause camera shake. Quick fix: Get a Tripod.
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Tripod Terror: Now let's review the situation. You have a tripod but photos are still blurry. Why: Your camera press caused the blur. Quick fix: Set a 2s timer and preferably use the touch screen click and move away from the camera for best results.
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So low yet so high: You have set the aperture high and ISO low, yet the photo is too bright: A common case in daytime long exposures Quick Fix: Use a polaroid lens addon.
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Tripod Oblivion: You forgot to get your tripod. Quick Fix: Tuck your elbows to the sides of your body in a L shape, camera at your chest level, lock it in. Take a deep breath and hold. Click the photo while praying to a higher force for blur-less photos.
Astro photography:
If stars are what you want to capture, it's an extension of long exposure photography, the only difference being that you want dots and not lines. Constants: Aperture as wide as possible (To let every ounce of light from the stars through the lens). ISO: low to keep away noise. Variable: Set the shutter to a long enough duration. (Greater than 20s)
There might be a possibility that the photo has lines in it. And if that puzzles you. Dear flat earthers, accept the fact that we live on a round rotating orb. The rotation is substantial and evident when on a long exposure with the stars. Solution: Professionals take multiple, shorter duration shots (by short I mean a few seconds rather than minutes) and use software to align and process the images.
Best time: A wintery night with no clouds and humidity + A place far away from the city (& hoomans) with no external lights
That's all folks. Hope you enjoyed learning more about the three-variables that govern photography! More you practice, the better you'll be, so click away! Feel free to reach out using the social media linked below!
Happy learning!