Super High ISO Photos

Welcowme to the brave, crazy new world of high ISO photography! Remember the days of defining high ISO as 400? (We actually said ASA 400 back then.) When I started as a pro, 200 ISO was as high as I could go, any higher the quality of the photo was terrible, unpublishable. When I got my first good, professional level digital camera I could shoot at ISO 1250 but no higher. My next camera allowed me to go to ISO 1600 and I thought this was bordering on magical. Now with my new Nikon D750 I can now shoot in the magical realm.

The picture above was shot at ISO 12,800. That’s right, ISO 12,800! No bad, huh? There is a little noise in the dark areas but it was easily dealt with by using just a touch of noise reduction in Lightroom. 12,800! Pure fantasy land magic.

The reason I had to use such a high ISO was to keep the shutter speed at a reasonable number for the Maasai women. I could’ve shot it at a much lower ISO but the much longer shutter speed would’ve meant that the women would’ve moved. The shutter speed for this shot was about 2 seconds.

The shot to the left was taken at ISO 6400. It was pitch black inside the house, the only light is from the Luci Light hanging above. Again, I picked a very high ISO because with 4 people involved I knew there would always be movement. the shutter speed was about 1 second.

The lesson is- use your ISO. It is an important tool in the photography toolbox. And don’t be afraid to crank up your ISO and see what happens. I think you will be shocked but shocked in a good, magical way.