Photography

Exposure Triangle

• ISO: double ISO = double brightness, but also double noise. Stay lowest possible
• Aperture: f/2.8 = shallow depth of field (blurry background), f/11 = everything sharp
• Shutter: 1/focal length minimum for handheld — 50mm lens needs 1/50s or faster
• Expose for highlights — blown highlights unrecoverable, shadows can be lifted in post

Focus Fundamentals

• Focus on eyes for portraits — always the nearest eye
• Back-button focus separates focus from shutter — press once to lock, recompose freely
• Single-point AF for precision, tracking AF for movement
• Hyperfocal distance for landscapes: focus 1/3 into scene, everything sharp at f/8-11
• When in doubt, stop down — f/8 is sharper than wide open for most lenses

Composition Beyond Rule of Thirds