A common misconception in landscape photography is that using the lowest ISO setting always results in the highest quality images. I frequently encounter this question and concern in my YouTube comments. Therefore, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share a video and article discussing the importance of ISO.
While a lower ISO can effectively minimize noise, adhering strictly to ISO 100 can limit your adaptability in dynamic or challenging shooting environments. In reality, embracing the flexibility to raise your ISO when necessary can enhance your creativity and help you capture sharper, better-exposed images. Additionally, it's essential to recognize that the flexibility of your ISO settings depends on your camera sensor's capabilities. I recommend doing ISO tests on your camera to see how it handles higher ISOs or reviewing tests online to better understand its performance. Be sure to check out my YouTube video for a more in-depth look at this subject, complete with image examples.
ISO 100: A Default, Not a Rule
While I aim to use ISO 100 whenever possible for its noise-free quality, real-world situations often make this challenging. The ideal scenario rarely presents itself, especially when capturing fast-moving or unpredictable conditions. By being open to adjusting your ISO, you can gain more flexibility in your shooting.
There was a calm waterfall exposure, with no wind, super stable ground, and enough light to shoot at my ideal default settings. I opted for a 0.6-second exposure at f/11 and ISO 100 for this shot.
ISO Flexibility in Fast-Moving Environments & Windy Conditions
When shooting from helicopters or boats, the constant motion and vibration make capturing sharp images at ISO 100 rare. In these situations, I typically raise the ISO to 400, 500, or 800 to enable faster shutter speeds, which are essential for avoiding motion blur.
For instance, while shooting from a helicopter, the rapid shifts in perspective and vibration would lead to blurriness if I remained at ISO 100. By increasing the ISO, I can boost my shutter speed, ensuring the scene stays sharp and detailed. Below is an image shot in Hawaii from a very turbulent helicopter ride. It was incredibly chaotic, and pushing my ISO to 400 allowed me to capture this image nicely. The scene was also not very brightly lit, as you can see from the diffused lighting here. So, I needed to open up my f-stop to f/4 (my lowest) to expose the scene properly. It's a moment that I won't have the opportunity to witness again, and being able to capture it clearly and in focus was the most important thing for me.
I also photograph from boats, canoes, and kayaks. Below is an image captured during a stormy boat ride in New Zealand. Freezing the water and getting a stable shot with my telephoto lens meant bumping my ISO to 1,000 to achieve a nicely crisp shot. Even at that high ISO, I was able to get a decent, clean file to work with, and I reduced the noise manually in Lightroom, as Denoise didn't exist at the time.
Now, to switch things up completely, here’s a sand dune image captured at 1.3 sec, f/9, and ISO 100. This was the ideal situation for comfortable landscape photography. It was a calm, windless morning, and I sipped my morning coffee as I took this telephoto image. There was no need to bump the ISO for this one. However, things can change drastically, as I captured the following photo a day later.
Here’s a dune shot, this time at 1/800 sec, f/11, and ISO 400. Even though it was pretty bright out, the wind was very dramatic. Strong gusts stirred up sand, making it impossible to do a long exposure without introducing significant motion blur.
To compensate for the conditions, I needed to bump my ISO up to give myself some breathing room on the shutter speed, allowing me to freeze the action of the wind as it danced across the sand. I also set my f-stop to f/11 to ensure that more of the front dunes remained in focus, providing depth to the image. This combination of settings enabled me to capture the texture and details of the dunes while effectively rendering the dynamic movement of the sand.
In situations like this, adapting quickly and making informed decisions about exposure settings is crucial. This shot illustrates the importance of flexibility in your approach to ISO and shutter speed, especially when faced with unpredictable elements in landscape photography.
This is also crucial when capturing wildflowers in windy conditions. If I need to close my aperture for greater depth of field, I increase the ISO to freeze the flowers' motion, ensuring a sharp image. This was shot at 1/60 sec, f/16, and ISO 500 to get everything sharp while also retaining a clean frame.
Capturing Birds and Moving Objects
Higher ISOs are especially beneficial for capturing moving subjects within a landscape scene. Imagine photographing a serene vista when, suddenly, a bird flies into your frame. If my ISO is set too low, I may miss the chance to freeze the bird's motion without sacrificing shutter speed, resulting in a blurred subject. By raising the ISO to 400, 500, or 800, I can keep the bird sharp, adding interest to the overall composition.
High ISO for Astrophotography
While shooting astrophotography, I often push the ISO to 3,200 or 6,400 to adequately expose the stars and capture the intricate details of the Milky Way. Although this can introduce noise, techniques like exposure stacking and noise reduction tools in post-processing ensure that the final image is clean and sharp.
The images below were shot on my Canon 6D and Canon 5D Mark III in 2013 and 2014. The first image uses a panorama technique to increase the image size, resulting in a cleaner file even at ISO 6,400. The second photo was taken with a star tracker, using multiple images for the sky (stacking them) and multiple images for the foreground (stacking those as well).
So, even with much older camera systems, you can achieve some pretty clean results at high ISOs if you are willing to incorporate a few extra techniques into the shooting and post-processing of your astro landscapes.
Why Flexibility Matters More Than ISO Perfection
Adjusting your ISO allows you to focus on what truly matters: composition, creativity, and capturing the moment. Whether photographing landscapes from a fast-moving helicopter or framing a fleeting moment in nature, raising your ISO provides the flexibility to react to your environment without compromising image quality.
While noise may slightly increase at higher ISOs, modern cameras and software make it easy to minimize this during post-processing. If you would like to learn more about this, check out my tutorials and online workshops here.
If you are someone who has worried about bumping up that ISO in fear of a grainy shot, I encourage you to play around and experiment with higher ISO settings. You might open up a whole new world of photographic possibilities. As always, thanks for reading and watching!
