If you're new to photography, the acronym "ISO" may seem a bit intimidating at first. But understanding what ISO is and how it works is essential to taking great photos, especially in low-light situations.
So, what is ISO? In simplest terms, ISO refers to how sensitive your camera's image sensor is to light. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive the sensor is to light - and the brighter your image will be. However, there's a tradeoff: higher ISO settings can also introduce more noise and grain to your photos.
Why does this matter? Well, let's say you're shooting indoors in a dimly lit room. To get a properly exposed photo with a low ISO, you'd need to use a slow shutter speed (which can introduce motion blur if you or your subject move) or a wider aperture (which can reduce your depth of field). By increasing your ISO, you can capture more light and get a brighter photo without sacrificing sharpness or depth of field.
Of course, as mentioned above, higher ISO settings can introduce more noise and grain to your photos. That's why it's important to strike a balance between your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture settings to get the best possible exposure and image quality. In general, it's better to use the lowest ISO setting possible for the shooting situation, but sometimes bumping up the ISO is essential to getting the shot you want.
Overall, ISO is an important setting to understand when you're learning photography. By understanding how it works and when to use it, you'll be able to take better photos in a wider range of lighting situations.
So don't be afraid to experiment with your camera's ISO settings the next time you're out shooting- you might be surprised by the results you can achieve
