[Gerbig]

Ok so i've been learning about this lately. so basically what i have come up with is that the faster the spped the more light that comes in. so i need a more detailed explanation of these 2. like what aperature to use with what shutter spped and stuff like that.
thanks in advance

[Emay]

A fast shutter means the shutter is opening and closing quick which allows less light in technically, but the aperature is the main driver of light to the sensor. A fast aperature lets more light in to the sensor. A slow one (higher F-number) lets less light to the sensor.

You can't just toss out aperature and shutter speeds settings that are standards. Almost every situation is different and real time decisions have to be made based on those situations.

In time, as you get better, you can walk into a situation and pretty much know where to be. Most newb's will rely on the cameras metering system to assist them.

[Gerbig]

i dont want to rely on the camera though i want to learn what to use and when. so my camera goes from 2000 to 8" shutter speed. what does the "symbol mean? is it seconds

[Emay]

You don't have a choice, you have to rely on the camera, the internal meter always (even for professionals) is used as a baseline no matter what.

Being close to the settings for the situation is the best you can do. The camera, a hand held lightmeter, or test shooting and adjusting get's you to the final result. Hopefully you understand that.

That said, the quotation mark symbol signifies seconds. Seems odd, but with what you posted, you can shoot as fast a shutter as 1/2000th of a second down to a slowest shutter of 8 seconds.

[Gerbig]

alright thanks i understand now. I was gonna rep you but it won't let me.
So what is the best way to mix aperture and shutter speed together

[Emay]

Don't think of it that way. Available light affects settings.

Everything depends on available light, you can't shoot fast in the dark. And you can't shoot real slow in bright light ( at least not anything that is worth looking at ).

When you want a shallow depth of field, it inversly affects what you can get away with in aperature depending on available light.

Aperature affects depth of field, depth of field is not only from the subject to the back of the subject, it expands forward as well.

If you want a sharp image, with clear detail in foreground and background, I'd start around f8 or f11 (light being available of course) then set shutter speed accordingly.

If you want shallow view, with subject tack sharp, speed up the aperature, set shutter according to available light. Light drives everything you do.

Tripods change the game, they allow you to not be shaking the camera as the operator in long shutter speeds, which in turn allows settings to be used that could not be made sharp with human hands on the camera.

[1FUN4RD]

Also a good how to master your -blank- camera book will help you a lot. Read the book cover to cover. Go practice for a while, then reread the book.

[Emay]

LOL, he speaks the truth..

[1FUN4RD]

And to answer your question:

look thru your viewfinder.

compose your shot

set the apreture to get the depth of field you want

then adjust the shutter untill the cameras light meter indicates correct exposure

take your shot, view it.

Then adjust from there to get the look you want.

Edit: also suggest using auto ISO untill you get comfortable setting the shutter & apreture.

[Gerbig]

i just don't think i have the right kind of camera to take the kind of shots i'm wanting. i mean it takes some pretty good photos.

[1FUN4RD]

What kind of camera are you shooting with?

[Gerbig]

Fujifilm Finepix S1800. 12.1 MP and 18x zoom

[1FUN4RD]

Originally Posted by Gerbig Fujifilm Finepix S1800. 12.1 MP and 18x zoom

I started with a similar camera. Mine was a Fujifilm Finepix S2000HD.
I didn't have it but a few months before selling it & getting a Nikon D60.

Main reason I wasn't happy with the Fuji was most of the settings were buried in the menus. Making it a pain to use in M mode.

The D60 is night & day more user friendly.

[Gerbig]

i was looking at the d3000. serbiandude has that one and i like his shots

[1FUN4RD]

That would be a great step up. I think you would like it much better than your current camera for what you are wanting to do.

[Gerbig]

wanna buy me one?

[1FUN4RD]

Do you swallow??

[Gerbig]

No I spit

[M.P. Cobra Fan]

While a good camera is a start, the person holding the camera has a lot to do with it.

If you really want to get serious and learn, I HIGHLY recommend the books by Scott Kelby. His books helped my photos tremendously.

Another good thing that I do is shoot in auto mode and see how the picture looks. Then look at the settings the camera picked and remember them. Plug those in to your camera and start tweaking from their to get the desired look.

[Gerbig]

Do you have a link to his books?