Photography In Bullet Points

Terminology

- Shutter speed (longer = more light (better for dark), but possible motion blur)
- "f stop" aperture size (f/x, depth of field increases as x increases)
- ISO: light sensitivity (lower = needs more light, but will give greater detail)
- EV: exposure compensation (shortcut for changing shutter & fstop)
- White balance: keeps whites white (usually auto does fine; manual adjustment can make photo warmer/colder)

- Sunny 16: ~correct exposure on a sunny day uses an aperture of f/16 and the reciprocal of the ISO speed of the film
- "f/8 and be there": take the opportunity instead of futzing with best practice; f/8 is the general-purpose aperture ("never fails" - Richard Stolley) and, when used at hyperfocal distance (max depth of field)
- Darker scene = higher ISO
- Rule of thirds: divide frame into thirds, put subject in only one
- If you've got the 3x3 grid, the 4 corners of the center square are the targets (you want the point of focus to land on one of the corners)
- Center dominant eye: put the dominant eye of a person being photographed in the center of the photo (how you get the "following eyes" look)

- Exposure triangle: ISO, aperture, and fstop all have to be changed in tandem to get correct exposure
- Bokeh (soft blur in background)
- Histogram (top right of pro mode on phone): shows how evenly exposed the light is (necessary b/c the screen won't be entirely accurate)
- Maps each pixel to a brightness value
- You want most stuff in the middle; spikes on left/right means you're under/overexposed respectively