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What is this?

The exposure triangle describes how three camera settings — aperture, shutter speed, and ISO — work together to control how bright your photo is. Changing one setting requires adjusting at least one of the others to maintain the same brightness. Each setting also has its own creative side effect: aperture controls background blur, shutter speed controls motion blur, and ISO controls image noise.

How it works

Exposure is measured in Exposure Value (EV), where each whole EV step represents a doubling or halving of light. An increase of 1 EV (one "stop") means twice as much light is reaching the sensor. Aperture follows a geometric progression (f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4...) where each full stop halves the light entering the lens because the area of the opening is inversely proportional to the square of the f-number. Shutter speed is more intuitive: doubling the time doubles the light. ISO amplifies the signal from the sensor — doubling the ISO doubles the effective brightness but also amplifies noise. In practice, you typically set the parameter that matters most for your creative intent first (aperture for DoF control, shutter for motion), then balance the others. Modern cameras meter in 1/3-stop increments for finer control.

Key factors

Aperture — Controls the size of the lens opening. Each full stop (e.g., f/2.8 to f/4) halves the light. Also affects depth of field — wider apertures blur the background more.

Shutter Speed — Controls how long the sensor is exposed to light. Faster speeds freeze motion; slower speeds introduce motion blur. Doubling the time doubles the light.

ISO — Controls the sensor's sensitivity to light. Higher ISO brightens the image but adds grain/noise. Always use the lowest ISO that gives you the exposure you need.

Exposure Value (EV) — A single number that represents the overall brightness. EV 0 corresponds to a 1-second exposure at f/1.0. Each +1 EV halves the light.

Pro Tip

Start with Aperture Priority mode: set the aperture for your desired depth of field, and let the camera choose the shutter speed. Only raise ISO when the shutter speed drops too low for sharp handheld shots.

Pro Tip

For sports and action, switch to Shutter Priority: pick a fast shutter speed (1/500s or faster) and let the camera adjust aperture and ISO to match.

Pro Tip

The "Sunny 16" rule is a quick mental shortcut: on a bright sunny day, set aperture to f/16, shutter speed to 1/ISO (e.g., 1/100s at ISO 100), and you will get a well-exposed image without metering.

⚡Challengebeginner

You are photographing your dog running in the park on a sunny day. The image keeps coming out blurry. Which setting should you prioritize to freeze the motion?

Hint: Motion blur is caused by the subject moving during the exposure.

Lock:

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/125

ISO: 100 (locked)

Exposure Value (EV)11.9

Depth of Field

Moderate

Motion

Moderate

Noise

Clean

Exposure Triangle Simulator