June 2021 • Nebraskaland 41
ISO Setting
There is one other camera setting that can help you increase
shutter speed without losing depth of fi eld or vice versa, but
it also doesn't come for free. It's called the ISO, which, oddly,
stands for International Organization for Standardization
— a name you'll never need to know again. Without getting
deep into the details, when you increase your ISO setting
on a digital camera, it requires less light to make an image.
Unfortunately, as you increase ISO, your images get more
and more grainy. While newer cameras handle ISO better
than older ones, that graininess still increases with higher
ISO numbers and can create images that don't look good
when enlarged.
If you absolutely can't get a photo without boosting
ISO, boost it. Otherwise, keep it within a reasonable range.
With many digital SLR cameras, that reasonable range is
somewhere around 800 or lower. Some newer cameras can
create decent images at much higher ISO settings, but most
photographers I know still set it as low as they possibly can.
Letting your camera choose ISO for you can be helpful when
working quickly in low-light situations but don't forget that
your camera doesn't know your preference for "graininess"
and you might not always appreciate its choices.
Program Mode
If you're just getting started in serious photography, you
might choose to set your camera to "program mode" and allow
it to handle aperture and shutter speed decisions while you
concentrate on focal length, composition and focus. That's
fi ne for a while, but as soon as you get more comfortable
with the other aspects of your camera, it's a good idea to start
taking the reins on exposure settings, too. There may still be
times you set the camera on shutter speed priority so you can
make sure that bobolink's eye is sharp as it moves around
the prairie. However, you'll probably fi nd that, with some
practice, quick adjustments of exposure settings become
second nature. When that happens, you won't have to trust
your camera's brain to see the world the way yours does.
N
Look for part three of Chris Helzer's "Your Camera Doesn't See
Like You Do" in the July issue of Nebraskaland. The author will
cover how to identify and use light intensity and quality.
The low light on the pre-dawn Platte River made it necessary to use a very high ISO just to capture this image. The image is
grainy, but still holds together fairly well. ISO 1600 and 1/10 sec shutter speed.
