Does changing shutter speed and aperture create equalized exposure?

hooray4mo

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This may be related to bracketing, but I’m not quite sure. Also I’m not sure if I worded this in the right way, so bear with me.
Say for instance you take a photo with a camera mounted to a tripod at a shutter speed of 1/500 and your aperture is set to f/16. You then take another photo of the same subject in the exact same spot with the shutter speed set to 1/250 and your aperture set to f/11. Would the two images have the same exposure, thus looking the exact same? Or at least have the same exposure to them?
 
This may be related to bracketing, but I’m not quite sure. Also I’m not sure if I worded this in the right way, so bear with me.
Say for instance you take a photo with a camera mounted to a tripod at a shutter speed of 1/500 and your aperture is set to f/16. You then take another photo of the same subject in the exact same spot with the shutter speed set to 1/250 and your aperture set to f/11. Would the two images have the same exposure, thus looking the exact same? Or at least have the same exposure to them?
If your meter is zeroed in both instances, yes.
 
This may be related to bracketing, but I’m not quite sure. Also I’m not sure if I worded this in the right way, so bear with me.
Say for instance you take a photo with a camera mounted to a tripod at a shutter speed of 1/500 and your aperture is set to f/16. You then take another photo of the same subject in the exact same spot with the shutter speed set to 1/250 and your aperture set to f/11. Would the two images have the same exposure, thus looking the exact same? Or at least have the same exposure to them?

Assuming the light hasn't changed, then no it wouldn't be the same, because you've increased the the amount of light entering the camera by one full stop when you reduce the shutter speed from 1/500 to 1/250, and you increased the the light entering the camera by one full stop when you opened the aperture from f/16 to f/11. So your exposure is two full stops greater. You also changed your Depth Of Field (the amount in focus in front of and behind the focal plane), because that amount decreases as you open up the aperture.

A correct exposure is arrived at by balancing the relationship between the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO (The Exposure Triangle). The Exposure Triangle - A Beginner's Guide
 
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Exposure will be 'the same', but the resulting image will have differences.

Going from 1/500 at f/5.6 to 1/60 at f/16 will alter the depth-of-field and possibly cause motion and/or camera blur.

Taking the same shot, but increasing the ISO from 200 to 1600 in order to shoot 1/500 at f/5.6 again will increase noise.
 
Exposure will be 'the same'
As OP first references bracketing and then says " You then take another photo of the same subject in the exact same spot", it appears he is talking about the light remaining constant. If so, then he has raised the exposure two stops and increased the light by 400%.
 
Short answer is no.

Long answer is, slowing down the shutter will let in more light, thus changing the exposure.

And.

Opening up the lens, which is what you do when you use a lower F stop number, lets in more light, thus also changing the exposure.

Since in your example you are doing both, you are more than doubling the amount of light and therefor changing the exposure.

So, if your first example, (500--f16), has the correct exposure to take a good picture, then the second one, (250--f11), will be massively over exposed. Assuming that everything else is the same of course.

Now if you had them the other way around, say, 500--f11 and 250--f16, then yes, they would be mostly the same. You would be lowering the speed and decreasing the light by using a higher f stop. By upping the f stop number you would be compensating for slowing down the shutter.
 
Sorry, I should have also mentioned that I still am figuring out the exposure triangle (despite taking analog photos for almost 10 years 🥲)
Would the exposure remain “constant” I guess you could say, by keeping the shutter speed and aperture in balance with one another?

I just remembered that aperture affects depth of field, so THAT aspect would obviously be different. But the lighting/exposure would be the same?
 
Short answer is no.

Long answer is, slowing down the shutter will let in more light, thus changing the exposure.

And.

Opening up the lens, which is what you do when you use a lower F stop number, lets in more light, thus also changing the exposure.

Since in your example you are doing both, you are more than doubling the amount of light and therefor changing the exposure.

So, if your first example, (500--f16), has the correct exposure to take a good picture, then the second one, (250--f11), will be massively over exposed. Assuming that everything else is the same of course.

Now if you had them the other way around, say, 500--f11 and 250--f16, then yes, they would be mostly the same. You would be lowering the speed and decreasing the light by using a higher f stop. By upping the f stop number you would be compensating for slowing down the shutter.
I worded it incorrectly. Or rather I didn’t think of the amount of light properly before posting. Your last paragraph basically states what I MEANT to say haha.
Thank you, you basically said what I meant. Now I have my answer 😬
 
The exposure triangle is a thing for digital cameras ... the ISO cannot be changed on the fly (unless you are using sheet film or a removable back) so it is not something a Film shooter would use ... just shutter speed and aperture.
 
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Buy a light meter!
I’ve been wanting to for quite a while. They’re so expensive though 😣
It is on my next-to-buy list though
 
The exposure triangle is a thing for digital cameras ... the ISO cannot be changed on the fly (unless you are using sheet film or a removable back) so it is not something a Film shooter would use ... just shutter speed and aperture.
Film or digital, the shutter speed/aperture combination is meaningless without considering the ISO. And clip tests can be run with roll film as well as with sheet film.
 

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