Photography is the art and practice of capturing light to create an image. At its core, it’s about controlling how light enters your camera and how that light is recorded. While modern cameras automate much of the process, understanding a few key basics gives you far more control and creativity.

The most important concept is exposure, which refers to how bright or dark an image appears. Exposure is controlled by three main settings, often called the “exposure triangle”: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Aperture is the opening inside the lens that lets light in. It’s measured in f-stops (like f/2.8, f/5.6, f/11). A lower f-number means a wider opening, letting in more light and creating a blurry background effect called shallow depth of field. A higher f-number means a smaller opening, letting in less light and keeping more of the image in focus (deep depth of field). Portrait photographers often use wide apertures to blur the background, while landscape photographers prefer narrow apertures for sharpness throughout the scene.

Shutter speed is how long the camera’s sensor is exposed to light. It’s measured in seconds or fractions of a second (like 1/1000 or 1/30). Fast shutter speeds freeze motion—useful for sports or action shots. Slow shutter speeds allow motion blur, which can be used creatively, like making waterfalls look smooth. However, slow speeds can also cause unwanted blur if the camera moves.

ISO controls how sensitive the camera is to light. A low ISO (like 1