ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

ISO, which is the abbreviation for International Organization for Standardization is an international organization composed of national standards bodies from over 75 countries. For example, ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is a member of ISO. ISO has defined a number of important computer standards, the most significant of which is perhaps OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), a standardized architecture for designing networks.

   When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you’ll notice that it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot. For example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you’ll notice that you can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.

ISO at 200

ISO at 600

Shutter Speed

In photography and digital photography the shutter speed is 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 speed is measured in seconds, or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30). Mastery of how to manipulate the shutter speed on your camera can allow you to produce an image that conveys motion and freeze action amongst other abilities.

For more tips and tricks on how to manipulate shutter speed click on the link below
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-shutter-speed.htm


Here are a few examples of the shutter speed being manipulated:

APERTURE

   Aperture is the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is taken that can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the film or digital sensor. The size of the aperture is measured in F-stop. Aperture size is usually calibrated in f-numbers or f-stops. i.e. those little numbers engraved on the lens barrel like f22 (f/22),16 (f/16), f/11, f/8.0, f/5.6, f/4.0, f/2.8, f/2.0, f/1.8 etc.

   There's a simple, direct relationship between aperture and depth-of-field - the smaller the aperture, the more extensive the depth-of-field. So if you want to keep as much as possible sharp, you should set as small an aperture as possible - preferably f/16, or even f/22 if your lens offers it.
Depending on lighting conditions and your film stock, you may need to use a tripod or some other form of support at such small apertures, as the resulting long shutter speeds create a risk of camera-shake.

   If, however, you want to concentrate attention on just one part of the scene, and throw the rest out-of-focus, you should select a large aperture. Exactly how large this can be depends on the maximum aperture of the lens you're using. On a 50mm standard lens it will be f/1.7, f/1.8 or f/2, but on a standard zoom it will typically be f/3.5 or f/4.5.
For general picture-taking, when you want most of the picture to be in focus, you might want to set a middling aperture of around f/8 to f/11

Aperture at f/10

Aperture at f/5.0

Lighting

   The use of light in a photograph can be the deciding factor of whether that picture will be spectacular or terrible. When you use your camera to automatically chose aperture and shutter speed, what your camera is actually doing is using the built in light meter and measuring how much light is being reflected to the camera. But that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to it. You should also think about the angle of the light entering the frame, what kind of shadows you want, and whether you want to use fill-in-flash (using flash to light the subject if you have a really bright background). If you are shooting at night you can create all sorts of cool effects like lights in motion, pictures with moonlight, or silhouettes like the one shown here.

   For more on how to use light to achieve some amazing photography shots, clink on the link below
http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/top-10-photography-lighting-facts-you-should-know


Here is an example of using lighting in photography:

Cropping

   Often times the main subject of an image becomes lost in its background because of its size. By cropping the image, it essentially allows the removal of unwanted areas that distract from the main subject and can improve composition greatly. Successful cropping in photography can help to eliminate distracting parts of the photo and emphasize part of a photo more. You can achieve this by changing the orientation of the image from horizontal to vertical by turning your camera on its side in order to get a more compact feeling around the subject, going closer to the subject itself, or by using the zoom function on your camera to close in on the subject.

Here is an example of cropping in photography:



                                                                ORIGINAL PHOTO

CROPPED VERSION

Framing in Photography

   In photography, there are many objects that would make for perfect natural frames, such as trees, windows, archways, tunnels, doors and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition, you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world, which in turn acts as a border or frame for your subject. The frame directs the viewer’s attention to a particular subject or point of interest within the photograph. Frames also create perspective and show depth. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

   When trying to frame your composition you should be creative in what you use to frame your object. If possible use a symbolic object for framing your subject, something that has a meaning in relation to the subject. Always emphasize the subject, consider the depth of the shot and try as best to keep the camera's focusing and lighting sensors on the main subject. Sometimes it’s what you can’t see in an image that draws you into it as much as (if not more than) what you can see in the picture. Clever framing that leaves those viewing your image wondering a little or imagining what is behind your frame can be quite effective.


Here is an example of framing in photography:

Depth

   Photography is a two-dimensional medium. Because of this we have to choose our composition carefully in order to convey the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping, where you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. The human eye naturally recognises these layers and mentally separates them out, creating an image with more depth.

   Depth of Field is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. It is the sharp area surrounding the point of focus. The magnitude of the sharp area is affected by several factors: distance between the camera and the subject, focal length and aperture.

• The closer the subject to the camera, the more shallow the depth of field.
• The longer the focal length, the more shallow the depth of field.
• The larger the aperture (smaller the F-number), the more shallow the depth of field.

An Example of an image with Depth:

VIEWPOINT

   Before photographing your subject, take time to think about the angle, the distance or stance where you will shoot it from. This is what is known as the viewpoint and whether you realize it or not, every photograph has a viewpoint. Your viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of your photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on. While shooting from a standing position is most commonly used (especially by beginning photographers), explore other options or ways of seeing your subject.

Here is an example of viewpoint in photography:

Balancing Elements

    As with the rule of thirds, placing your main subject off-centre creates a more interesting photo. But by doing so it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. You should balance the "weight" of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space.


What does balance in photography mean?
If you place every element of interest in a photograph on one side or another, or more commonly by the beginners in the center of the image, you are leaving little or nothing to look at on the opposite side. This will be a unbalanced and most likely an uninteresting image.
If you have a large object as the main subject of an image it should be counter balanced with a smaller object or objects to make a good composition. Use of asymmetrical balance is more challenging and requires more artistic skill and training to do well compared to symmetrical composition.

Formal balance
There are basically two types of balance in photography. The first is formal balance, also called symmetrical balance. As the name suggest it is when one or more identical or similar subjects are repeated symmetrical on each sides of a given point. The formal balance is most often recognized by subjects that are homogeneous in shape.

Informal balance
The second type, informal balance or so called asymmetrical balance is when one or more dissimilar elements are balancing on each side of a given point. Informal balance is less obvious because the subjects are not uniform.


Radial balance
There is also a third type of balance in photography. This is called radial balance. This is when all the elements of the design “radiate” from a center point in a circular fashion. Radial balance is a great way to lead the eye into the focal point in the center of the object.

Here is an example of a picture taken with the elements balancing out one another:

The Rules of Thirds

WHAT IS THE RULE OF THIRDS?

  The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. The four points where these lines intersect are strongest focal points. The lines themselves are the second strongest focal points.
As follows:

   As you’re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD display that you use to frame your shot. With this grid in mind the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image. Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your photo.

   The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.
Here is an example of a photograph taken using the rule of thirds: