Exposure Triangle Lab
Move one control at a time. See how the settings work together—and why two equally bright photographs can look different.
These diagrams teach relationships; they do not predict a particular camera’s image quality.
What changes?
Illustrative depth and motion. Light, framing, subject distance and motion stay fixed while you adjust the controls.
Lower f-number: larger opening, more light during the exposure, and generally shallower depth of field.
Shorter exposure: less captured light and less subject-motion blur. Longer exposure: more light and more motion blur.
Higher ISO brightens the rendered result at the same aperture and shutter speed. It does not add captured light.
What this means
How to use this lesson
Start at the reference settings. Change only aperture, then reset. Change only shutter speed, then reset. Finally change ISO. Next, make a one-stop change to one setting and offset it with another. The brightness can stay similar while focus depth or motion rendering changes.
The reference scene is a fixed illustrative scene, not a light-meter recommendation for your next photograph. Real depth of field also depends on focus distance, focal length, output size and viewing conditions. Motion blur depends on subject speed, direction and camera movement.