Camera Variables

Photographic Variables on Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses

This is a list I hand out first thing to my students at the Delaware Art Museum.

Many variables are at the photographer’s command before a picture is taken. Here a list. Of course, many more changes can be made to an image in post-processing, after the image is captured.

YOU CAN CHANGE what’s framed in the viewfinder.  This is determined by:

1. Where the camera is pointed.
2. When the camera is pointed.
3. The focal length of the lens.

YOU CAN CHANGE the lights and darks of the image (exposure), and color fidelity. This is determined by:

1. Light reflected from subject and light produced by subject
2. Shutter speed
3. Aperture
4. ISO setting (sensitivity of sensor)
5. White balance
6. Number of pixels captured and their bit depth
7. File format of captured image

YOU CAN CHANGE the sharpness of the image. This is determined by:

1. Quality of the lens
2. Focus
3. Shutter Speed relative to the motion of the subject and the camera
4. Depth of Field (adjusted by changing the aperture, also called the f/stop)
5. Number of pixels captured and their bit depth
6. Filter on the front of the lens