Exposure Triangle Explained

I’ve been working as a full time freelance photographer for many years now and like many other self employed creatives I’ve experienced ups as well as downs. When the work is steadily flowing in, it’s easy to believe that it won’t ever slow down, but when the weeks go by with little or no work, it’s hard to believe that it will ever pick up again.

I learned early on that in order to bridge those gaps, I needed to supplement my income during those quiet times. So I decided to start teaching photography. And it wasn’t long before I found I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge and passion and also that I was actually quite good at it.

Alongside my regular work as a photographer, I now teach through a few well known and established photography schools in London as well as under my own name, and I’m proud of the many positive reviews I receive, you can read some of them here.

I’m lucky to meet many different people through the various workshops I offer, but I’m often struck by how many people working as photographers, often in a part time or semi professional capacity still don’t fully understand some of the most fundamental principles of photographic technique, especially when it comes to manual exposure. There must come a time in people’s career progression when they feel embarrassed to admit they don’t understand something they should have learned a long time ago and as a result end up relying on the semi, or even fully automatic modes of their cameras more often than not.

It’s astonishing how many people are charging for their work, even earning a fairly decent income from it, without knowing some of the most basic stuff! I don’t hold that against them and when I’m teaching I remind people there’s no such thing as a stupid question; after all, if you don’t know something, it’s better to ask than to carry on fumbling around in the dark, pretending to know what you’re doing. I certainly don’t know everything and don’t claim to. Nobody does, we’re all learning and there’s always something new to be discovered. However, I firmly believe that anyone working as a photographer should know the fundamental techniques of how to achieve accurate exposures!

With this in mind, and after being encouraged by a few of my students to share some of my teaching online, here’s a quick section of voiced over video from one of my Keynote presentations, explaining the exposure triangle (when teaching in person, I go through it much more slowly while also explaining the controls on the camera).

If you’ve ever struggled with the exposure triangle, I hope you find this helpful.

If you’re interested in learning exposure or any other elements of photography in greater depth, have a look at the workshops I offer or or if you want 1-2-1 personal tuition on any specific area of photography, get in touch to see how I can help you become a better photographer.

Architectural Photography

Like most things in photography, architectural photography isn’t as easy as it seems. When we look at photos we often think “I could do that” and it’s no different with architecture. I often find that people take pictures of buildings as a way of easing themselves in to street photography. It’s not uncommon to feel nervous about photographing strangers in the street so even though that’s actually what people often want to do, they retreat in to the apparently easier option of simply photographing the buildings they see. This is often a stage in the process of someone’s development in exploring their areas of interest as well as finding their confidence as a photographer.

However, I think it’s hugely beneficial if you can identify your interests early on and focus your energy on specific genres with a clear idea of your own aims. If your interest is street photography and shooting people, then that’s the skillset and style you should develop. If you’re genuinely interested in photographing buildings and architecture, then you need to think about approaching your subject matter in a very different way to how you would shoot on the street.

Architectural photography is all about scale, perspective and design in my opinion. But that’s not to say the detail should be overlooked as there’s plenty of interesting stuff if you look closely.

One of my favourite locations to take pictures of interesting buildings is in the City of London. With a rich architectural history that reflects the fascinating social history of this area, it is full of architectural gems, both old and new. Especially when it comes to tall buildings and skyscrapers, the obvious perspective is to look up as in the shot above of the Lloyds building and it’s neighbours the Leadenhall Building and the Aviva Tower. The same applies to many of the older buildings in the City. Indeed, this is a perspective that can easily be overlooked but can offer some unexpected and often rewarding surprises, often in the form of hidden statues or sculptures. Below are a few examples of some great, often overlooked architectural details in the City of London.

Gargoyle on the roof of a building, City of London

Ariel statue at Tivoli Corner, City of London

Dragon on top of a column in Leadenhall Market, City of London

Photographing architecture can also present fantastic opportunities for both black and white and abstract images. The forms and lines within architectural design can be subject matter within themselves, as in the image to the left. But more often they are compositional elements leading the eye through a frame to a particular point of interest, as in the image to the right where the S shaped curve draws the viewer to the figure at the bottom of the frame.

Looking for the relationships between forms can be a useful way to add interest. In both of the these images, I’ve tried to juxtapose the smooth curves in the foreground with the more regimental, rigid formality of the buildings in the background.

In both these images, the conversion to Black and White has also helped in removing any distractions which colour can represent. The overcast sky also adds little value in these shots so is best used as a blank canvas against which the architecture is the main focus.

The inclusion of a figure adds scale and the shadows and branches help frame the building

One thing that I find interesting when it comes to discussions about defining certain genres in photography is how opinions can differ so hugely. I once met someone on a workshop I was running who told me about a landscape workshop they had previously been on. The photographer running that workshop had said that as soon as an image contained a person, he no longer considered it a Landscape Photograph. Of course, everyone has their own way of doing things but I personally don’t go in for such strict definitions. In fact, when it comes to Landscape, and possibly even more so Architecture, my personal preference is to include people. Architecture is after all designed by and for people and the built environment would be pretty sterile and lifeless if there were no people interacting with it. Including people gives a sense of scale and forms a connection with the built environment on a subconscious level.

Arguably, the inclusion of people starts to veer towards Street Photography in terms of style and genre. But like most things photographic, there is the potential for things to overlap and cross over between genres. That’s why I tend to avoid overly strict definitions and encourage people to define their own work in a way that makes sense to them.

I run workshops and also guided walks around the City of London which focus mainly on Street Photography but are also great opportunities for Architectural Photography

The slow shutter speed adds a sense of business as the people move through this walkway in the Docklands

The lone figure framed by the futuristic design adds a sense of scale