Photography newbies, as well as those who have used cameras for years but prefer to point and shoot obliviously, tend to be confounded by their devices’ settings. The fear of activating or deactivating a function and ruining your ability to snap pictures of your cat can be quite daunting.

In its ongoing Basics of Photography series, Lifehacker is there to walk you through the basics of your digital camera’s settings.

Here’s a quick rundown of the knowledge the post offers:

*Aperture refers to the size of the opening in your lens and the amount of light you let in with each exposure. The narrower your aperture, the more of your image will be in focus.

*Shutter speed is the amount of time it takes for aperture blades to close once you snap a photo. If you’re shooting something that’s moving fast, stick with 1/300th of a second.

*ISO is the equivalent of film speed on digital cameras. If you’re shooting at night, you’ll want a high ISO to make your camera more sensitive to light and capture a clearer picture.

What are your favorite camera settings to mess with?

Basics Of Photography: Your Camera’s Manual Settings [Lifehacker]

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