Have you ever taken a photo or browsed through a photo album and felt a sudden rush of emotion? Wondering what caused that emotion? Many find themselves fascinated by a photograph and overwhelmed by the emotions that photography evokes. Believe it or not, the emotional arousal of those photographs was not caused by the content of the image but by some elements within the photograph. When looking at a photograph, it is not only the subject that triggers the overwhelming emotional response, but it is also the length of time the film has been exposed to sunlight, the way the lighting is used and played with, and the strong color detail or lack thereof. . While many believe that the subject acts as the primary stimulus for emotions, the above elements take on that role leaving the subject as a secondary but stimulus. There are multiple components that make up a photograph and understanding each is essential to creating different effects and achieving that certain "je ne sais quoi" that artists aspire to. The exposure of a photograph can be defined as the amount of light the film is “exposed” to or receives (Davies 18). The lighting in a photograph can vary depending on the scene, such as fluorescent lighting in schools, strong midday sunlight in summer, or the gray, muted light that comes on a cloudy, rainy day. Both lighting and exposure depend on certain camera settings; these settings are called shutter speeds and apertures. Shutter speed determines how long the camera lens will remain open while taking a photo. Shutter speeds range from “b”, that is, as long as the shutter button is held down, up to 1/1000 of a second (Davies 18). When deciding on h...... middle of paper ...... cob Prince, Zac Swehla, Tammy Tran, Ali Zubel, Jane Fisher, Abbie Svancarek, Aleah Svancarek, Scott Svancarek, Katherine Healy and Kylie Stevens . "Interactive art walk". Personal interview. February 25, 2012Myers, David G. Psychology. 8th ed. New York: Worth, 2007. 383. Print."The Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals." The Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals: international non-profit arts organization. 2010. Network. 06 February 2012. "Tracing the paths of emotions." Emotions. Ed. John L. Papanek. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1994. 94-99. Print.“What is an Emotion? Odyssey, January 2012, vol. 21 Number 1, P8-8.1p.” Central Research Plus. EBSCO, January 2012. Web. 06 February. 2012. .