What Is ISO, How do you use ISO when taking a picture, and why should you care?
Blog entry
28th July
ISO is a measure of the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor to light
The key to how ISO works and the effects for your photograph is by gradually increasing the ISO, you will see that your image will become brighter, but this will also cause your photograph to have more digital noise.
So the best thing to consider is that the light condition will control the ISO that you decide to use and the best rule of thumb is to pick the base ISO which is either 100 or 200.
Take a look at these images to help you decide which ISO to use for which light condition.
I tend to use ISO 100 whenever I am using a tripod, 400 IS0 when I am shooting during the high sun and 800 ISO when in low light situations.
Here are 5 tips to consider when changing your ISO
Start with ISO 200 -
During my own education, I was taught that the main ISO to use was 400 with a traditional camera and now I use ISO 100. This is due to technology development into digital. These days, the difference between ISO 100 & 200 is not a lot so I am suggesting starting at ISO 200, rather than 100.
Use ISO 400 for clouds or dusk -
When I am teaching I always suggest photographing with ISO 400 on a cloudy day or if the sun is high or the light is becoming dark. ISO 400 is a safe all-around ISO to use in odd light conditions.
Crank it up to stop the action -
This is a tip to consider and make your own choice as cranking up the ISO to capture action will negatively add noise to your images. Technology has improved upon this and so make sure your noise reduction setting is applied and risk this option. You can take away noise via editing with either Photoshop or Lightroom, so you do have that as another option.
Start with ISO 1600 indoors
Don’t be afraid to use 6400
Start with ISO 1600 indoors & Don’t be afraid to use 6400 - These are some higher ISO options to experiment with when you are shooting in low light situations.
Low light means - a situation where the subject is lit indirectly, from a faraway or dim source. Please realise that these are options on the camera so use them when required or needed for a certain situation. Be aware that you will need to edit the images afterwards to reduce the noise in the photographs.
After reading these tips for using different ISO, test your own camera, with a variety of lenses first. As all cameras will work best at different ISO’s and your main point is to have a un nosey photograph. For example with my own camera when I use my zoom lens at an ISO 800 or above, the images I then have are very noisy and not sellable.
I know I have completed this blog on ways to not be afraid of changing your ISO when required or needed. All I wish to say is that you need to practice and edit the images afterwards,
Take a watch this ‘YouTube video on how to use Photoshop to amend noise in a photograph
Noise is referred to as a negative to the picture but some photographers add this to an image in a creative way. Take a look at how this photographer has used noise in her photography
https://www.audreyannphoto.com/blog/2015/3/5/adding-noise-for-creativity
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