ISO – For a few people, camera is a device that is used merely to click the pictures of a few moments here and there which will help them frame moments they would like to cherish. But for a few people with an artistic bent of mind, camera is a medium not just for getting a few images but also to create some breathtakingly beautiful stills that will leave the viewers astounded. However difficult it might look, one needs to understand that taking a good picture is no rocket science but just an understanding of the technical aspects of photography and how to use it to the best possible advantage.
If you are a novice when it comes to photography, then it would be a good idea to understand how important lighting is for taking good pictures. In order to ensure that the subject of the photograph is captured well, it is necessary that the object or person is placed under adequate lighting to ensure a flattering result. However, it can so happen that the subject of your photograph might not be necessarily placed in a well lit area. Or it can so happen that you are trying to photograph a person or an object which is moving and is placed in an overcast area. If this is the case then it would be a good idea to learn how to use the ISO settings of your digital camera to help you get a good picture.
The first thing to identify when it comes to ISO settings of your camera is whether it is automatically set or needs to be manually adjusted. If your camera has auto ISO settings, it means that your camera has been designed to change the ISO setting automatically while trying photograph to ensure that maximum sensitivity to light can be provided.
However, if it needs to be manually set, then you need to understand how to adjust the ISO settings based on the lighting available. If your subject is placed in a sunny area then you can crank down your ISO settings to as low as 100 as you would not need the help of ISO settings to ensure that you get maximum light captured.
However, if the person or object is placed in shade or the picture to be clicked has an overcast lighting cast, then you have to ensure that the ISO settings are changed to around 400 as this will ensure that the camera’s sensor will take in maximum light which will enhance the picture quality.
And if what you plan to take is a picture indoors, or is intending to do a night shoot, then the best idea will be to increase the ISO settings to 1200 and above to ensure that the maximum light sensitivity can be obtained. The only side effect of having ISO this high is that the picture might end up being grainy or lack clarity when enlarged.
However, changing ISO settings to ensure maximum light sensitivity is better than bringing down shutter speed as it will give you a picture with grains and character rather than a blurred picture which looks distorted.