Photopedia: The Ultimate Digital Photography Resource

13. Exposure

Exposure is the total light reaching your digital camera’s image sensor. If too much light reaches the sensor, the image is overexposed—too bright and washed out. If not enough light reaches the sensor, the image is underexposed—too dark and muddy.

You control exposure by means of your camera’s aperture (f/stop) and shutter speed. To some degree, your camera’s ISO setting (film speed equivalent) also impacts the exposure. Control all ...