January 10, 2011

{Photo Corner} Week 2: Lesson 2 ISO and Shutter Speed

Lesson 2 is on ISO and Shutter Speed.

ISO, or film speed, is really just a setting to determine how quickly an image will be captured by either the film or digital sensor. The higher the ISO, the quicker the image will be captured and the less light that is required. The lower the ISO, the longer it takes for the image to be captured and the more light you will need.

general rule of thumb:
  • 100 - 200 sunny and outdoors
  • 400 in the shade, overcast, indoors with good light
  • 800 - 1600 indoors, low light conditions, sports or action

Shutter speed is how quickly the shutter, or the little door that opens in front of your film or image sensor, operates. It can range from several seconds (or minutes on the Bulb setting) to 1/1600 of a second or faster.

general rule of thumb:
  • use a tripod or flat surface to steady your hand for anything 1/50th or under
  • if you are handholding, use a minimum of 1/60th. Hold your breath while taking the photo to reduce camera shake.
  • fast moving objects require at least 1/1000 to freeze the action.

My photos from the weekly challenge:

1/80 speed with ISO 1600

1/80 speed

1/1000 speed with ISO 1600.

1/1000 speed

You can see that the action in the second photo is frozen more than first. Pretty cool!

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