Who’s up for another “Tips” blog post? Today I wanted to respond to a question from my good friend Heather from Birmingham. She wrote in response to the Aperture blog post:
“Ben, this is awesome. One thing I hear a lot of different opinions about is ISO. Maybe you could comment on that sometime? I’ve heard some people say that an ISO > 400 is never ideal b/c of “noise” in the background, but if you want an indoor pic sans flash sometimes that’s the only option. Is it possible to use a higher ISO and still get a good quality photo that is able to be enlarged?”
Here’s my video response. (Warning… I have a bit of a cold so I’m a little sniffly… sorry!)
Heather, I disagree with the advice you’ve received. I think it is more preferential than it is rule, opinion rather than principle. I love shooting at higher ISO settings. As a recap from the video, ISO refers to how sensitive the image sensor {in digital photography} is to the available light. The higher the ISO setting, the more sensitive the sensor, resulting in the ability to photograph in lower lighting.When shooting film, ISO refers to the speed of the film, measuring the sensitivity of the negative material (aka film) to light.
Let’s be real practical here for a moment. What if you find yourself in a poorly lit environment & would rather not use your flash, what do you do? You begin by trying to shoot at an ISO setting of about 320. Next, maybe you try to widen your aperture, choosing to shoot at around an f/2. Works pretty good except the shutter speed is still too slow {ex. 1/6} & the subject is somewhat fuzzy. Your next thought needs to be, “let me increase my ISO settings so that I can shoot with a faster shutter speed & get a sharper image.” So you bump your ISO to 800 or 1200 or 1600… whatever you can in order to achieve the look you were going for. My first thought when faced with less than optimal lighting conditions (low light) is always, “can I shoot with a wider aperture?” Thus allowing more light to enter the lens. If that doesn’t work, I then bump up the ISO setting. For me personally, I’m usually always trying to shoot at the widest aperture possible. Then, depending on the situation, I adjust the ISO.
Below are some images I shot with a really high ISO yet really love the look & feel they portray. Plus, allowing a bit of “noise” in the image gives you an opportunity to differentiate yourself from the always expected.
I referenced this wedding detail image in the video. {ISO 3200, 35mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec}. This was shot with the Canon 24-70 f/2.8.
{ISO 3200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec}
I really love this image. To me it has a strong cinematic feel to it… as though it was taken a long time ago, expressing emotion. I’m not sure it would have the same feel without the grain. {ISO 3200, 40mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec}
And the same goes for people shots too! When I was photographing these twins I couldn’t really afford to shoot with a lower ISO… it’s one of my favorite images! {ISO 1250, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/320 sec}
As you can tell, I don’t always stray away from shooting at a high ISO setting. In fact, sometimes I prefer it. What do you think? Does this post help you better understand ISO settings? Has it given you a new appreciation for grain/noise in images? Let me know what you think. Thanks friends!
by Ben Finch
2 comments
Emily Grace - Your videos are really helpful, and your way of presenting definitely diffuses the tension that can come with trying to learn and apply information. Love it that your filming them in the mirror.
Heather - Thanks Ben! That’s definitely helpful to me, especially to encourage me to “think outside the box”. I feel so freed up now to try to use ISO when aperture alone isn’t getting me the shutter speed I need. And yes, I have a new appreciation for the grainy look. It does add a uniqueness to the photo. Thanks so much for answering my question, and so quickly!!