Interactive Photography Simulator

Photography Fundamentals

This interactive tool is designed to help you understand the core principles of photography. Experiment with the controls above to see how they affect the final image.

The Exposure Triangle

The core of photography is controlling light. This is done through three main settings: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. A change in one requires a change in another to maintain the same brightness.

Aperture

The opening in the lens that lets light through, measured in f-stops. A smaller f-number (e.g., f/1.8) means a wider opening, letting in more light and creating more background blur (a shallow Depth of Field). This is great for portraits.

Shutter Speed

The time the sensor is exposed to light. A fast speed (e.g., 1/1000s) freezes action. A slow speed creates motion blur. Camera Shake can occur if the speed is too slow for the focal length (a common rule is to stay above 1/focal length).

ISO

The sensor's sensitivity to light. High ISO (e.g., 3200) is for dark scenes but adds digital noise or grain, reducing image quality.

Focal Length

The lens's "zoom," measured in mm. Short lengths (e.g., 24mm) are wide-angle, capturing more of the scene. Long lengths (e.g., 200mm) are telephoto, magnifying distant subjects.

Lens Flaws

No lens is perfect. Here are two common optical issues:

Chromatic Aberration

Color fringing (often purple or cyan) on high-contrast edges. It happens because a simple lens acts like a prism, bending different colors of light at slightly different angles. As the diagram below shows, this prevents all colors from converging at the same focus point.

The result is a noticeable fringe of color along boundaries that separate dark and bright parts of the image. The simulator demonstrates this by splitting the color channels of the foreground object.

Lens Distortion

Warping of straight lines. Barrel distortion (lines curve out) is common in wide-angle lenses. Pincushion distortion (lines curve in) is common in telephoto lenses.