Photo Tip #2

Hey Everybody! Sorry this is a little late. I've been feeling under the weather this last week and have been resting during my "free" time instead of doing what I need to be doing. Anyway here's tip #2. It's a little more of the technical side of things but it's worth a million bucks. I hope it makes sense...sometimes these things are kind of hard to explain!

Tip #2: ISO. Understanding how your ISO works can help your skills as a photographer whether your taking photos of your kid playing soccer or trying to capture the fireworks on 4th of July.

What is an ISO? ISO is the film's or sensor's (in digital photography) sensitivity to light. ISO is represented by a number - 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, etc. The lower the number, the less sensitive it is to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive it is to light. ISO also represents your "films" speed - how fast or slow your camera will take a photograph.

How will adjusting my ISO help me? Adjusting your ISO to the lighting your shooting in or even the subject your taking will make a huge difference in how clear your photograph will turn out.

When to use a High ISO (800 or above is considered pretty high)?

• When you are in a low lit environment. Turning your ISO higher, allows the camera to take the photograph faster, eliminating the chance of blurriness or camera shake.
• Higher ISO are required if you wanting to take photographs in a low lit area without a flash.
• If you are taking photographs of things in motion

There is one disadvantage to using a high ISO! The higher your ISO, the more grain and noise your image will have. So, if you are in a situation where you can use a low ISO (well lit areas, low motion, still subjects) then I suggest you keep your ISO around 400 or even lower.

Here is an example of a situation I ran into when having a high ISO came in really handy - A few summers ago, I was in Italy. I was in one of Rome's many cathedrals that forbids flash photography, trying to take photographs. The problem is that most of the cathedrals aren't always radiating with light and my images were coming out blurry from my slightest movement. Bumping up my ISO, making my camera more sensitive to the available lighting and therefore bumping my shutter speed, allowed me to capture images blur free.

Here's an image from a church in Padua, Italy I was able to take using a higher ISO.

One other helpful hint: If your shutter speed is below 1/60 of a second then your chance of camera shake (blurry images) is much, much greater. Try bumping your ISO to get your shutter speed faster. OR use a tripod to stabilize your camera.

In most cases you can think of it this way: Higher ISO = Higher Shutter Speed

Most new point-and-shoot cameras have the ability to adjust your ISO. On my point-and-shoot, I have the ability to change it from normal ISO or a High ISO. All DSLR/SLR have the ability to change your ISO.


IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS! I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP!