You will have heard the word steps in photography more than once, and surely you will have finally deduced that it has nothing to do with dancing ? . But it may be that, beyond that, you are still mired in a sea of doubts.
Whether you are thinking about dance steps or swimming in a sea of doubts, this article is for you. Although it seems very complicated, the truth is that it is very simple, you only need to know several concepts that we are going to see little by little and that have to do with lighting in photography (to delve into the subject of light in photography, do not miss this comprehensive guide, with information, tips and tricks).
WHAT IS A "STEP" IN PHOTOGRAPHY?
The steps in photography refer simply to the increase of light or reduction of it in the exposure of our photographs.
Going up one step means increasing the light input and going down one step , on the contrary, means decreasing the light input.
Now, the question is: exactly how much light are we talking about? Let's see it ?
HOW IS THE LIGHT INPUT CALCULATED IN STEPS?
Before we have commented that one step is to increase or decrease the light; Specifically , one step is doubling the light input or dividing it by two depending on whether we are going up or down one step.
For example, when we are working at a diaphragm opening of f/5.6 and we need more light, what we do is open the diaphragm to f/4. With this simple movement of the diaphragm, we are multiplying the light input to our sensor by 2. If, on the contrary, what we want is to reduce the entry of light, what we will do is close the aperture from f/5.6 to f/8. With this we would reduce the entry of light in half. In both cases, we have moved one light step , up or down, doubling or halving the light input.
APERTURE, SPEED AND SENSITIVITY: THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE
Now, when we talk about steps, we're not just talking about f- stops . We also talk about steps in ISO (Sensitivity) or Speed. But don't be scared, because despite having different units and nomenclatures, the steps work exactly the same for speed, ISO or aperture, only that adjusting one or the other influences the final result of the photo differently.
These three variables (diaphragm, speed and ISO) are what we know as the Exposure Triangle variables , through which the exposure or light input that our sensor or film receives is controlled. Let's see how:
SHUTTER SPEED
It is the time that the shutter of our camera remains open, allowing light to pass through the sensor. Basically it is the time that we indicate to our camera that it should “take” to take the picture.
If we use higher speeds , the shutter opens and closes faster ; that is, it remains open for less time, which for practical purposes allows us to freeze the movement in the scene but allows less light to enter .
If we use lower speeds , the shutter stays open longer, allowing a greater amount of light to enter and capture the movement trail of the scene on the sensor.
Since we are talking about time, speed is counted in seconds. When we talk about speed steps, these work exactly the same as when we talk about f-stops or ISO; Duplicating or dividing the light input. For example, if we are shooting at a speed of 1/60s and need more light, we will slow down one step, which will give us double the light at 1/30s.
DIAPHRAGM
The diaphragm not only controls the amount of light that enters the sensor of our camera, but also controls the depth of field or area in focus in the image. The more closed it is, the less light will enter and the more depth of field we will have. Conversely, the more open it is, the more light will enter but the less depth of field you will have.
ISO
It is the sensitivity of the film or camera sensor to light. The higher the ISO value , the more sensitivity but “worse” image quality or more grain in the image. At less ISO value, less sensitivity but better image quality; less grain.
When you adjust the sensitivity to have more light and move the ISO from 100 to 200, what you are actually doing is going up one light stop, or doubling the light you have available. Conversely, if you drop a light stop through the sensitivity, you'll be dividing that value by 2. For example from 100 ISO to 50 ISO.
We have always recommended that you venture to try the semi-manual modes of your camera, even more so that you learn to master the manual mode first, even if it seems like a great challenge. To do so, you must be clear about the concepts associated with the Exposure Triangle and the way in which they affect the final image, since it is not only the amount of light that we are modifying when we move the aperture, speed or ISO up or down, it is also the depth of field, the quality of the image, or the ability to freeze or not the movement.
Once you master the three variables of the exposure and learn to combine them with each other, there will be no photo that will resist you. You will use the steps in any of its variables mechanically, almost without thinking. If you sign up for a photography course and they tell you to raise or open 2 stops of diaphragm, lower one speed and lower one ISO, you will not make a stomach ache face, but you will do it quite naturally, reaching at least yourself to the following conclusions.
Here's an example:
If it sounds Chinese to you, it's a matter of practice and assimilating the concepts little by little, or why not, of proposing exercises yourself: If I want twice the depth of field but I want to keep the ISO, how do I do it? If I want a low speed but I have too much light, how do I do it? etc., and little by little you will see how you are resolving these situations quickly and effectively.
Everything we start seems like an unreachable mountain, but step by step you reach the top, and in this case, never better ?
I hope I have helped you understand the concept of "steps" in photography. If so, I'd appreciate it if you'd share this article with someone else you think might be interested in reading it. Thank you very much and until next time ?
