The exposure triangle is very important but also a very difficult concept to understand. That's why I start with a basic explanation and some misunderstandings. Because there is a lot of misinformation and that causes a lot of confusion.
Let's start with the triangle itself. There are 3 elements in your camera that affect the exposure of your photo: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. That's all there is. Every automatic program such as AUTO or portrait mode or sports mode also only uses these 3 elements for the exposure. So you can also set everything that these automatic modes do yourself and then you have control over these elements, instead of letting the computer take care of it.
You can link these three things together like a triangle. It is important to know that your light meter plays an important role in this. It always tries to keep the triangle in balance, exactly in the middle between completely white and completely black. Exactly at 0.
This means that if the light changes, so for example the sun suddenly breaks through, 1 of the 3 elements will be adjusted to get the light meter to 0. But even if the light remains the same and you choose a different aperture, a different shutter speed or a different ISO, this has a direct influence on 1 of the other elements (or in the M mode on your exposure of your photo).
In a later blog we will discuss what happens in the different modes when you adjust ISO, aperture or shutter speed and how you can use it to your advantage.
But first to clear up any misconceptions:
If I want to make my photo lighter, I raise my ISO:
Wrong: because if you raise your ISO, it will affect 1 of the other elements because your light meter wants to stay at 0. This only works if you shoot in M mode, but I only recommend that in certain circumstances, M is not the best option for most circumstances. So never use M because you think real photographers only use M, that's not true.
If I want a photo lighter, I have to go to M because I can't do that in the other modes
Wrong: this can also be done in aperture priority or shutter priority with your exposure compensation
ISO should always be kept at 100
Wrong: there are many circumstances where you can or even have to turn in a high ISO both indoors and outdoors, I would like to teach you this.
Auto ISO is most convenient
Wrong: there are circumstances in which you can opt for auto iso, but it is better to make sure that you make decisions yourself and consciously deal with your ISO instead of letting the computer determine what the best ISO is.
The M mode is best, because then you determine the exposure and you are not dependent on the light meter
Wrong: because if you shoot at M you will turn the knobs 9 times out of 10 until your light meter is at 0. So you do use your light meter. In the other modes, the computer ensures that you get to 0 in a millisecond, while you do the exact same thing but need a few seconds.
I really never learn, too complicated:
Wrong: you can learn it too, step by step and with the right coaching and I will help you with that. Because I have been able to explain it clearly to many people and now understand it.
I'm not going to say it's very easy, but with the right personal coaching you will learn it too. I also explain everything clearly step by step in the Everything about photography course , which is also part of the Golden Hour Membership .