The exposure triangle explained: try it yourself

1. Start with one exposure

Use Manual mode on a still subject in steady light. Make a photograph at a sensible aperture, shutter speed and ISO. This is your reference.

2. Change aperture and compensate

Open the aperture by one stop, then make the shutter speed one stop faster. Take another photograph. The overall brightness should be similar, but depth of field may change.

3. Change shutter speed and compensate

Return to the reference. Make the shutter one stop faster and raise ISO by one stop. Compare brightness, motion rendering and noise. The visible differences may be subtle depending on the subject and camera.

4. Deliberately break the balance

Change only one exposure control by two stops and take another photograph. This time the brightness should change clearly. The exercise shows why changing one part of the triangle affects exposure unless something else compensates.

What you are learning

Aperture, shutter speed and ISO are not interchangeable creatively even when different combinations produce similar brightness. Choose the setting that matters most for the photograph, then use the others to complete the exposure.