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Remember, I'd like to know what you want to know about photography. So, if you have any questions, email me at sam@samdamico.com. And for what it's worth. When you send me an email, unless someone's lookin' over my shoulder, I'm the only one that sees it.

Hello, .

Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, and Tonality.

We control these things during the Introduction To Photography class while working in manual exposure mode.  

Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all control our pictures' tonality (brightness). Still, each setting has a distinctive visual effect. 

That means whatever one(s) we use to control tonality changes the brightness of the picture and an additional, separate visual element of our composition.

Now, let's consider those three settings, the range of choices each offers, and what they do visually. The number of compositional possibilities is nearly endless. 

f4, 1/500, at ISO 800, and f22, 1/30, at ISO 1600 are equivalent tonalities; however, they're drastically different when it comes to the other elements of composition. 

We get the most creative control when working in manual exposure mode. 

Still, even if we work in aperture and shutter priority modes, we can begin to explore these creative combinations. We'll just have difficulty controlling tonality.  

I encourage you to stop working in fully automatic exposure modes, including the "scene modes" like portrait, landscape, sports, etc. 

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are complex cameras that offer us the most creativity possible with a camera. And we haven't even considered lens choices and other peripheral equipment like a flash.

If we've got a DSLR or mirrorless camera, we should consider learning to use it to its full creative potential, and that'd be done in manual exposure mode.

Because when we do that, we also realize our full creative potential as photographers. 

There's only two spots left in the Introduction To Photography class that starts on Sunday, April 14. 

The Introduction To Photography class will get you more involved in photography by learning how to work your camera in manual exposure mode. You'll get a good foundation in the basics of photography while learning reliable creative techniques. Classes are scheduled to start April 14. 

Smaller classes mean better learning, so class sizes are limited to 5 participants plus me.

But smaller classes also mean spots fill up quicker. 

Private in-person or online lessons suited to your schedule are always an option. 

And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture daily.

That's all for now; thanks for reading! 
Sam

I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me. 

And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? If that's the case, let's schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online private instruction that covers the same things as my group classes. 

Ways to work with me are listed below.