What are Composition and Exposure in Photography?

Discover why these concepts are fundamental to creating professional photographs

In recent years, Instagram has become an essential tool for anyone working in visual arts and content creation to connect and share content. This social network’s resources make every post an opportunity to make an impact and build your presence.

Some creatives are particularly savvy when it comes to making the most of this virtual storefront. With over 146,000 followers, photographer Erea Azurmendi—aka @tiempodecerezas —is one of them. There’s very little luck or improvisation in Erea’s work. She has created her own method of designing, capturing, and editing photos that people connect with by playing with the lighting, colors, and creativity.

Erea also emphasizes that understanding the basic photography concepts is essential—even on a mobile phone. Learning about composition and exposure will give you more control over the final photograph and create professional results. Let’s explore them in more detail...

Exposure

Exposure is the amount of light your camera lets in from the scene. You’ve achieved great exposure when your image captures details in both the light and the shadows; the image shouldn't have burnt or dark areas that prevent you from seeing these details.

Have a look at Erea's examples below to get a better understanding of this idea:

Example one: This image has the right balance between light and shadow so you can see the details.

Example two: This image has less light and more shadow. Therefore, the shadows are less nuanced and have fewer details.

Exposure settings

Exposure depends on three settings:

1. Shutter speed

Shutter speed controls the duration for which the shutter remains open, allowing light into the camera sensor. The more light you allow in, the more your image will blur. 1/125 is usually the standard setting used to obtain a clear image.

2. Aperture

A circular opening in your camera's diaphragm, the aperture is the hole through which light passes to reach the sensor. The more open the hole is, the more light will enter.

The aperture is measured by f-numbers—the lower the f-number the larger the aperture, and vice versa.

The size of the aperture affects the depth of field (the distance between your photograph's nearest and farthest object in clear focus). The smaller the aperture, the less light hits the sensor, which in turn creates a greater depth of field. In other words, the figure and the background will be much more focused. These examples will help you to understand the concept:

Example one - wide aperture (F/1.4): This makes the subject stand out against the background, which is completely out of focus, separating the subject from the background and adding texture to the highlights.

Example two - medium aperture (F/8): Here the figure is in focus, along with some (but not all) areas of the background:

Example three - narrow aperture: In this image, everything is in focus, both the subject and the background.

Explaining the relationship between the shutter speed and the aperture, Erea adds that they are "inversely proportional". This means that if you need or want to use a wide aperture, you will need a very high shutter speed. And if you want a very narrow aperture, you will need a very low shutter speed.

3. ISO

ISO is the sensitivity of your light sensor that will impact the brightness or darkness of your photo. The higher the ISO, the greater the sensitivity, so the greater the amount of light captured. The complexity lies in the fact that as you increase the ISO (the sensitivity) you get more texture and the image becomes grainier, which makes your scene look less defined and therefore less appealing. With this in mind, Erea recommends that you don't raise the ISO too much unless there's no way to avoid it.

Adjusting your camera settings

If you're using a mobile phone, all of these settings will be controlled automatically, however, you can use apps like ProCamera to adjust them and experiment with different settings.

If you’re using a camera, learn how to review the settings in the Domestika tutorial below:

Composition

Composition is the art of arranging all the elements in your photo. Erea emphasizes that composition is very important for achieving striking photographs, and also for directing attention towards a particular element.

When working on composition, you need to consider the following factors:

- The placement of objects

- How you use color

- The rule of thirds: The rule of thirds invites you to divide your scene into nine equal sections by drawing two horizontal and two vertical lines across your image. The points at which these lines intersect are the strongest areas, which is where the elements you want viewers to focus on should be placed. You can create more powerful photos with this framing technique.

- Symmetry: Some compositions are symmetrical, while others are asymmetrical—Erea enjoys experimenting with both. Symmetrical images usually generate tranquility, balance, and peace; whereas asymmetrical compositions create tension—which can also be visually striking.

If you want to gain a better understanding of exposure and composition, sign up for Erea Azurmendi’s course,Mobile Portrait Photography for Instagram. She'll teach you how to use your mobile phone to post on social media in a way that grabs attention, encourages feedback, and builds community interest.

English version by @studiogaunt.

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