ISO Explained: The Simple Guide to Better Photos in Any Light ✨
Ever wondered why some photos come out looking dark 🌑 and others are sharp but grainy? 🌾 The answer lies in one simple camera setting: ISO. 📸 It doesn't let more light in; instead, it's the digital amplifier of your photo's data. 🔊 Mastering this one setting lets you get a sharp, correctly exposed photo in any situation. 🎯 Today, we’re diving deep into ISO, showing you exactly what it is, how it affects your images, and the professional techniques for using it to get the cleanest photos possible. 🧼 We'll turn a seemingly technical concept into your most powerful creative tool. 🔧
Here is the answery bit 👇
ISO simply boosts the light captured by your camera’s sensor. 💡 Unlike your aperture or shutter speed, it doesn't physically let in more light; it electronically amplifies the signal that's already there. ⚡ The base ISO is your starting point—the lowest setting, offering the purest, highest-quality image with no digital amplification. 💎 As you increase the number (from 100 to 200, 400, 800, and so on), you’re digitally brightening the photo. ✨ This is a vital tool, but it comes with a major compromise: a higher ISO means more digital noise, or digital bad stuff as I like to call it, 🚫 which can degrade your image. 📉 Your primary goal should always be to use the lowest possible ISO. There is a caveat to this, which I will come on to. 😉
Hello and welcome to episode 215 of the Photography Explained Podcast, "ISO Explained: The Simple Guide to Better Photos in Any Light." 🌟
A very good morning, good afternoon, or good evening to you, wherever you are in the world. 🌍 I'm your host, Rick, and in each episode, I try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 27 minutes (ish), ⏱️ without the irrelevant details. Yes, really. 😉
I'm a professionally qualified photographer based in England 🇬🇧 with a lifetime of photographic experience, which I share with you in my splendid podcast. 🎙️
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading - entirely up to you. But whatever you do - enjoy!
Today, we're mastering ISO – one of the most powerful ways to get a correct exposure without the need for fancy gear. ⚙️ We'll explore simple, practical ISO tips for using it effectively. ✨ This isn't a complex exercise; 📖 it's about practical ways to get the best results from your camera. 📸 If you're still getting to grips with your camera's main settings, go back and listen to Episode 211: Master Your Camera Modes: A Simple Guide to Auto, Aperture, Shutter & Manual Settings ⚙️.
How utterly splendid. 🤩 Let’s get into this. 👇
Here are 5 top tips for making ISO work for you! 🌟
🎯 These tips will simplify how you think about ISO and help you achieve fantastic results with minimal noise. 🤫
1: ISO for Beginners: What is ISO in Photography? 📸🤓
Let's break down exactly what ISO is without all the technical jargon. 🚧 Think of your camera's sensor as an ear listening for sound. 👂 A low ISO setting is like a normal hearing level—it captures what's there clearly. 🎶 A high ISO is like turning up the volume on a speaker—it amplifies the sound so you can hear quiet things, but it also amplifies the background hiss. 🔊 ISO is a number, typically ranging from 100 up to thousands. 🔢 The lowest number, usually ISO 100 or 200, is your base ISO. 💎 At this setting, your camera is capturing the light data without any digital amplification, giving you the cleanest, most unadulterated image possible. 💖 As you increase the number, you’re simply telling the camera to digitally boost the signal, making a photo that would have been too dark appear brighter. ✨ This is the third and final part of your exposure triangle, a crucial balance between aperture and shutter speed. 📐 For a bit of photography trivia, ISO actually stands for the International Organization for Standardization, and it was created to standardize film sensitivity. 🎞️ That's why you still see familiar numbers like 100, 200, 400, and 800—they've been around for decades! 🗓️ Understanding this core concept is the first step to taking full control of your camera's exposure. 🚀
2: Low ISO Photography: How to Get the Best Quality Photos 🏆✨
In bright light—on a sunny day at the beach, ☀️ for example—you should always, always use your camera’s base ISO. 💎 This is because using your base ISO is how you get the very best image quality your camera is capable of. 🌟 Think of it this way: a low ISO image is like a perfectly clear, high-fidelity sound recording. 🎧 It’s clean, pure, and has no unwanted noise. 🤫 A low ISO gives you the sharpest details and the richest, most accurate colours. 🌈 It's the default setting for almost all professional photographers when shooting landscapes, 🏞️ product photography, 📦 or formal portraits in good light. 🤵 For more on capturing stunning outdoor scenes, especially landscapes, you'll love Episode 213: Your First Five Steps into Landscape Photography (Even in Your Local Park!) 🌲. The reason professionals prioritize low ISO is not just about a lack of noise; it also gives you a wider dynamic range, meaning your camera can capture more detail in both the brightest highlights and the deepest shadows. 🌓 It’s the difference between a good photo and a truly stunning photo, capturing a scene with incredible clarity and true-to-life color. 💖 You always want to start with a low ISO and only change it when you absolutely have to. 🚫
3: High ISO Photography: When to Use ISO for Sharp Photos ⚡️📸
So, when do you actually use a high ISO? 🤔 The answer is simple: only when you have no other choice. 🙅♂️ It is a last resort, a compromise you make to get a sharp photo. 🎯 Imagine you're shooting a fast-moving subject like a child playing football, ⚽ or you're indoors with limited light and you don't want to use a flash. 💡 To freeze the action, you need a fast shutter speed, maybe 1/500th of a second. ⏱️ But using such a fast shutter speed might make your photo come out too dark. 🌑 You can’t slow down the shutter or the photo will be blurry, 👻 and your aperture is already as wide as it will go. This is the moment you reluctantly turn up your ISO. 📈 By raising it to 800, 1600, or even 3200, you are digitally amplifying the light your camera has captured, making the photo brighter and allowing you to maintain that fast shutter speed to get a sharp, correctly exposed image. 📸 Other real-world scenarios include concerts, 🎶 weddings, 👰♀️ indoor sports, 🏀 or even astrophotography. 🌠 In these situations, your priority is to capture the moment, and a sharp, noisy photo is always better than a blurry, dark one. ✨ For more on achieving crisp images, revisit Episode 210: How to Get Sharp Photos Every Time: Beyond Just Focusing 🎯.
4: ISO and Digital Noise: The Trade-off for High ISO Photography 📉 grainy
The reason we try to avoid high ISO is because of something called digital noise. 🚫 Or digital bad stuff which is what I call it. Works for me! 😉 This is the biggest trade-off you make when you digitally amplify your image data. ⚡️ Digital noise appears as a grainy or speckled texture, like static on an old TV screen. 📺 It can reduce the sharpness of your details, muddy your colours, 🎨 and make your photo look messy, especially when you zoom in or try to print it large. 🖼️ This noise comes in two main types: luminance noise, which is a black-and-white graininess, ⚫⚪ and chroma noise, which shows up as splotches of colour. 🔴🔵 While modern cameras are much better at managing noise than older ones, they're still there. 🤷♀️ You have to find the right balance between a bright photo and a noisy photo. ⚖️ A good rule of thumb is to use the lowest ISO that allows you to maintain a fast enough shutter speed. ⏱️ And remember, noise can often be reduced in post-processing using software like Adobe Lightroom or Luminar, 💻 but it's always better to get the cleanest shot you can in-camera first. 📸
5: How a Tripod Helps: Using a Tripod to Keep Your ISO Low 🧘♂️ tripod
So, how do professional photographers get incredible, sharp photos in low light without cranking up their ISO? 🤔 The secret is a tripod. 🤫 A tripod eliminates all camera shake, 🚫 allowing you to use a very slow shutter speed, even for several seconds, ⏱️ without any risk of blur from camera movement, or camera shake. 🤝 By keeping your shutter open longer, you allow more light to reach the sensor naturally. 💡 This completely removes the need to use a high ISO, which means your photo will have no digital noise and the highest possible quality. 💎 If you are shooting a landscape at sunrise, 🌄 a starry night sky, 🌠 or a long exposure of a waterfall, 🏞️ a tripod is your best friend. 🫶 It’s the ultimate tool for getting a high-quality photo when light is scarce. 🌟 The tripod is the third leg of the exposure triangle in low-light situations, working with aperture and shutter speed to allow you to keep that ISO at its lowest possible setting. 📐
So, there you have it – five simple yet incredibly effective ISO tips for understanding and mastering ISO. 💡 Practice these, and you'll see a dramatic improvement in your photos. 📈
Here is something for you to do. 🚀
Grab your camera or phone and head out! 📱🚶♀️ Find a scene that has different light conditions—from a bright window 🏠 to a darker corner of a room. 🌑 Take the same photo with a low ISO (e.g., 100), a middle ISO (e.g., 800), and a high ISO (e.g., 6400). 📸 Now, look at them side-by-side on a large screen. 🖥️ You'll be amazed at how much difference the setting makes to the brightness and the amount of noise! 🤩
What if I use a phone to take my photos? 📱
Your phone is excellent for practising with ISO! ✨ From my personal experiences, no idea. 🤷♀️ To adjust your ISO, you'll likely need to use a third-party manual camera app from your phone's app store. 📲 These apps, or a dedicated "Pro" or "Manual" mode on some newer phone models, will give you direct control over settings like ISO. ⚙️ Play around with it to see the difference between a high and low setting. 📈📉 You'll quickly see the effects of noise and clarity on your images. 🖼️ The principles are exactly the same, whether you're using a phone or a big camera! 📸 Apparently! 😉 The best camera for learning is always the one you have with you! 💖
What do I do? 👷♂️
As a professional photographer specializing in architectural and landscape photography, my approach to ISO is very specific. 🎯 I rely on two key things: a tripod 🧘♂️ and my camera’s base ISO. 💎 When I am commissioned to photograph a building or a piece of land, my subjects are stationary. 🏛️ This means I have absolutely no need to use a fast shutter speed to freeze motion. 🚫 So, my primary concern is not speed; it's image quality. 🌟
By placing my camera on a solid tripod, I completely eliminate any risk of camera shake, no matter how long the shutter stays open. 🕰️ This allows me to use a very long shutter speed if necessary to get a correct exposure. 📸 Because I'm getting all the light I need from a long exposure, I never have to increase my ISO. 📉 My camera is almost always set to its base ISO of 100, which gives me the cleanest, most detailed file my camera can produce. 💖 I can confidently create a large, high-quality print for my client without worrying about digital noise or loss of detail. 🖼️ This workflow is the absolute gold standard for any type of photography where you want to achieve the maximum technical quality. 🏆
Final Takeaways and Summary for Better ISO 🏆
Let's recap the essentials for mastering ISO to get a perfect exposure in any light. ✨
Low ISO is best for quality. 💎 In a well-lit scene, a low ISO gives you the purest image with the most detail and dynamic range. 🌈
High ISO is a last resort. 🚨 Only increase your ISO in low light when you absolutely have to, like when shooting a moving subject. 🏃♀️
More ISO means more digital noise. 🌾 High ISO adds graininess and can reduce image clarity. 📉
Balance is key. ⚖️ Prioritize aperture and shutter speed first, then adjust your ISO as a last resort to find the right balance between a bright exposure and minimal noise. 💡
Use a tripod when possible. 🧘♂️ It's the ultimate tool for shooting in low light, as it allows you to keep your ISO at its lowest for maximum quality. 🌟
Practice these simple tips consistently, and you'll dramatically improve how you get correctly exposed photos that truly stand out. 🤩
One more thing 👇
Changing the ISO does not change the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light. That is fixed. 🚫 That is a widely held view. And an incorrect one. 🙅♂️
Increasing the ISO setting electronically amplifies the sensor's signal, which results in a brighter photo but at the cost of increased digital noise. ⚡️📉
And another thing 👇
A sharp but noisy photo is better than a clean but blurry photo. 🎯 You can do something with noise, but you can’t do anything with a blurry photo. 🗑️
SEO Keywords for this Episode's Blog Post & YouTube: 🔍
ISO Explained, What is ISO, High ISO, Low ISO, Camera Settings Explained, Exposure Triangle, Digital Noise, Get Clear Photos, Photography for Beginners, Learn ISO, Photo Basics, Improve Your Photos, Camera Basics.
Some thoughts from the last episode 🤔
Episode 214, Finding Your Best Angle: Simple Tips for Better Composition, was all about composition—finding your best angle, using leading lines, and the power of simplicity. 🖼️ I hope you're out there looking differently and composing thoughtfully! 🧐 Don't forget that using the rule of thirds can make a good photo great, ✨ and that sometimes a symmetrical composition is exactly what a scene needs. ⚖️ Let me know how you are getting on. 👇
Next Episode 🚀
Next week: a big one! Episode 216: Essential Accessories for Every Photographer (Without Breaking the Bank). 💰
Right – I have redone this bit as it was getting far too long. 😅
If you have enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any future ones. 🔔 For anything else, check out my website, RickMcEvoyPhotography.com, 🌐 where you can find out how to ask a question, ❓ get a weekly email from me, 📧 get in touch, 👋 or find out more about my splendid podcast. 🎙️
And you can text me directly from the podcast feed. 💬
I have a YouTube channel too - type Rick McEvoy into YouTube and you'll find me. ▶️
And finally, check out my courses page, 🎓 where you will find my splendid "How to Become a Real Estate Photographer" course. 🏠
This episode was brought to you by a cheese and pickle sandwich 🥪 and a Coke Zero, 🥤 which I consumed before settling into my homemade, acoustically cushioned recording emporium. 🎙️🏡
I've been Rick McEvoy. Thanks again for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast and for giving me 27 minutes of your valuable time. 🙏 I reckon this episode will be about 22 minutes long after editing out the mistakes and bad stuff. ✂️
Thanks for listening 👋
Take care and stay safe. 🛡️
Cheers from me, Rick! 🍻