ISO Exercise

Like any good artist who knows the medium in which they create masterful pieces of art, a photographer, likewise, has to know his/her camera to effectively take pictures in various scenarios including those in low-light situations.

The previous post discussed a little bit about ISO settings and night shots. Here is an exercise you can follow to help you understand what ISO will do to your pictures and when to use it.

EXERCISE STEPS:

• 1. Go outside and find something to shoot at which illuminates light.
  You don't have to travel far. I did this test shooting at a light pole on my street.
  
  
• 2. Set your camera to ISO 200 (probably default) and take the picture.
  Depending upon your camera, this setting could be on a dial, button or even within a menu on your LCD screen. While taking this picture, remember exactly what you took a picture of and your angle.
  
  
• 3. Now, adjust the ISO settings to be in the middle of your ISO range.
  For instance, one of my camera's goes up to ISO 1600. So the middle would be around 800.
  
  
• 4. Then take another picture of the exact same object you took in step 2 above.
  
  
• 5. Adjust your ISO level again to it's maximum then re-shoot the same subject.
  
  
• 6. After you've taken all the shots, take a look at them on your computer.
  
  Do you notice any differences? Send me your thoughts.