White Balance

This one is probably the easiest. While you can manually adjust using kelvin, you can also choose one of the pre-programmed options.

White balance is essentially - are your colors balanced? Do the whites look blue or orange?

I prefer to choose the pre-programmed settings because I've yet to come across a situation where they don't!

For example, if you are outside and it's cloudy, choose cloudy or shade! If it's bright and sunny, choose sun! It's that simple!

Even though this one is super easy to figure out, I believe it is the most forgotten. I know when I was just learning there were a few times I completely forgot it altogether! So always check your white balance!

ISO

Now, I'm sure this isn't actually what ISO stands for, but I learned it as "Is the Sun On?"

It seems silly but it really helped!

If the answer is yes - meaning it's bright outside, you'll use a lower ISO.

If the answer is no - you'll use a higher ISO.

One thing to remember, the higher the ISO, the more grain you'll have in your photos. It's best to stay within a range that doesn't get grainy (this depends on your camera!)

Aperture

Aperture is also known as F-Stop. This also is dependent on what lens you are using. Not all lenses can go as low in aperture as others.

Aperture is basically how much is in focus.

The lower the number, the less is in focus, but the more light you let in. This is also how you get bokeh!

The higher the number, the more in focus, and the less light you let in.

Example: If I was going to shoot portraits, for one person I like to keep my Aperture around 1.8. If I have more than one subject like a couples session, I like to have it around 2.8.

Of course, this is all preference.

If I was going to shoot landscapes, I would want this at a higher aperture like F7 or higher.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed was the most difficult of the four for me to learn. However, it's not impossible!

In fact, pro tip, while you're learning if you find shutter speed to be difficult. Shoot in Aperture Priority (AV) for a while until you get the hang of the other three. This is what I did and it really helped.

The lower the number for shutter speed, the slower the subject. The lower the number the more light you let in as well.

However, be careful because anything under 1/200 could have camera shake without a tripod.

The higher the number for shutter speed, the faster the subject. The higher the number the less light you let in as well.

Example: When I take pictures of my dogs in the snow, I like to keep my shutter speed around 1/4000. This is because they're running around and I don't have to worry about loss of light since snow acts as a natural reflector.

However, when I take pictures of landscapes or the sky, I use a much lower shutter speed and a tripod. Especially if it is dark outside.