How does photography work?

The photography definition may give a general breakdown of what photography is, but how does photography work specifically and how is light captured to create an image?

To understand this, you must understand the exposure triangle. Ever since the invention of photography and the invention of the camera, these three components of photography have been critical in creating images from light.

Aperture

Aperture is the opening of the lens through which light passes. When you hit the shutter release button to take the picture, the camera aperture opens to the predetermined width, letting a specific amount of light through.

ISO

Once light passes through the aperture of a camera lens, it lands on either a sensor (in digital photography) or light sensitive film stock (in film photography). ISO is what measures your camera’s digital sensor’s sensitivity to light or your film stock’s sensitivity to light.

Shutter Speed

The final component of the exposure triangle is shutter speed. Shutter speed is how long the camera shutter is open, exposing the image to light, typically measured in milliseconds to minutes.

Once these components of exposure pass light onto a sensor or film stock, an image can be created (through different processes depending on the medium). Film stock is processed through chemical processing while digital photography is processed, you guessed it, digitally. Let’s dive into these different mediums of photography to understand the similarities and differences between them.