Masterclass

If you want to take scroll-stopping mountain landscapes and adventure shots, learning how your camera uses light is the first step.

How to take the perfect mountain photograph

Thanks to smartphones, most of us carry a camera at all times. However, while these are great for capturing spontaneous moments they’ll never match a ‘proper’ camera for image quality. Even if you’ve made the jump to a more technical device, it’s tempting to stick it in ‘Auto’ and let the camera figure everything out. But learn the basics of how your camera works and you can take more control of your images, and capture impressive – maybe even award-winning (see page 12) – photos.

LEARN THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE

The sensor within your digital camera captures rays of light that enter through the lens and turns them into a photograph. Ensuring exactly the correct amount of light is captured is a balance of three different elements: aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

APERTURE Displayed as an f/number, this show how wide the lens can open to let in light. A low number such as f/2.8 means the aperture is wide and can let in a lot of light.

A higher number such as f/22 means the aperture is narrow and less light can get through.

SHUTTER SPEED This controls how long the sensor is exposed to the light for. A fast shutter speed (eg 1/1000sec) means the sensor is only exposed for a short time, whereas a longer shutter speed (eg 10secs) means the shutter is open longer and lets in more light.

ISO This is a measurement of the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor. A low ISO such as 100 means sensitivity is low and more light is required to capture the image. A higher ISO, such as 6400, means the sensor is far more sensitive to light, requiring less of it.

UNDERSTAND FUNCTIONS & EFFECTS Each of the three exposure elements have additional effects, and how you use them will determine how your photograph looks. APERTURE EFFECTS ‘Depth-of-field’ refers to how much of the image is in focus. The narrower the aperture (high f/number) the more of the image will be in sharp focus. Photos where the subject is sharp but everything behind them is blurred makes use of a wide aperture (low f/number), and is often used for portraits.

SHUTTER SPEED EFFECTS A fast shutter speed will freeze action, whereas a slower shutter speed blurs it – think of a waterfall where every splash is frozen in time versus a milky swirl of water. Slower shutter speeds require a means of holding the camera totally steady, such as a tripod, to avoid unwanted blur in the image.

ISO EFFECTS Higher sensitivity settings can introduce ‘noise’ and colour distortions into a photo, making it look grainy. Lower sensitivity settings create a cleaner image, with more detail and fewer aberrations.

MASTER CAMERA EXPOSURE MODES Getting the right exposure means balancing aperture, shutter speed and ISO, while also managing the effects they have. Your camera has various exposure modes to help you.

MANUAL You set the aperture and shutter speed according to the camera’s light meter.

APERTURE-PRIORITY You select the aperture, and the camera adjusts the shutter speed.

SHUTTER-PRIORITY You select the shutter speed, and the camera adjusts the aperture.

PROGRAM The camera chooses the best combination of aperture and shutter speed.

ISO With all the above modes you can set ISO manually or have the camera choose the best setting for each shot.

AUTO The camera chooses the best combo of aperture, shutter speed and ISO based on the type of image being shot, such as landscape, portrait, action, low light and more.