Chapter 3: Exposure and Composition
The basic elements that make up a photograph are exposure and composition. The exposure is how much light is captured by your camera’s sensor. You control the amount of light that is captured by setting the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. The goal is to have the right amount of light reach the sensor so that the image captured isn’t too bright or too dark. The composition of your images includes where you place the elements in your photograph and, just as important, what you include and exclude when you press the shutter release button as you can see in Figure 3-1. This chapter covers the basics of both exposure and composition and looks at some of the challenges you encounter with wedding photographs.
3-1
ABOUT THIS PHOTO Getting the exposure right is really important, especially when it comes to photos of the bride and groom in their wedding attire. The photograph needs to show both the bright white of the dress and the deep dark areas of the tuxedo. The composition is what makes the image stand out. Taken at ISO 250, f/4, 1/500 second.
Exposure
A photograph is created by capturing light. Your camera and lens are the tools used to capture that light. As the photographer, your job is to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. ...
