New
New
Lesson 2 of 9
  • Year 10

Picture taking: aperture and shutter speed settings

I can use aperture and shutter speed settings to control light and blur in my photographs.

Lesson 2 of 9
New
New
  • Year 10

Picture taking: aperture and shutter speed settings

I can use aperture and shutter speed settings to control light and blur in my photographs.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Cameras work by allowing light to pass into a camera and onto a light sensitive surface.
  2. The f-stop or aperture controls allow us to change the size of the opening.
  3. The shutter speed allows us to control how long the aperture is open.
  4. By using both of these, we can control how light or dark our photographs are, and can reduce or manipulate blur.

Keywords

  • Aperture - The hole through which light travels in a camera lens

  • Shutter - The part of the camera that opens to allow light through the aperture

Common misconception

Changing the aperture or shutter speed only affects how bright the photo is.

While both aperture and shutter speed do affect exposure (how light or dark a photo is), they also have creative effects on how the photo looks, such as blur.


To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: Picture taking: aperture and shutter speed settings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use addtional side-by-side visual examples to show not just exposure changes, but also creative effects.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Camera

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Photography is ...

the art and practice of using pencils to create images.
the art and practice of using paint to create images.
Correct answer: the art and practice of using light to create images.

Q2.
Which of the following definitions best describes light in relation to photography?

light of any kind is not needed to take a photograph
Correct answer: light is what makes a photo possible
light is not what makes a photo possible

Q3.
Which of the following describes an expressive photograph?

Correct answer: a portrait taken to express ideas and emotions
a portrait taken to capture a facts and information

Q4.
The Greek words photos and graphé mean what?

sound and measure
Correct answer: light and drawing
images and scratch

Q5.
True or false? Photos taken on phones today use totally different principles than those taken with older cameras.

true
Correct answer: false

Q6.
Match the photographic principle to the meaning.

Correct Answer:Depth,Show space and distance: foreground, middle, background.

Show space and distance: foreground, middle, background.

Correct Answer:Framing,Use things (windows, trees, doors) to frame your subject.

Use things (windows, trees, doors) to frame your subject.

Correct Answer:Leading lines,Lines in the photo that guide your eye to the subject.

Lines in the photo that guide your eye to the subject.

Correct Answer:Depth,Show space and distance: foreground, middle, background.

Show space and distance: foreground, middle, background.

Additional material

Download additional material