There are numerous so-called “rules” of photography, and one of the most common is to always shoot at ISO 100 whenever possible. This notion is particularly prevalent among landscape photographers who strive for optimum image quality and the maximum amount of detail in every image they shoot.
But is this strategy always true? According to instructor Jalen Oban, the answer is a definite “no.” Oban is a professional landscape photographer based in the Pacific Northwest, and he introduces today’s six-minute tutorial like this: “I’ll dive into the myth behind using ISO 100 and explore when its actually beneficial to push your ISO higher.”
In short, this conventional wisdom isn’t very wise, and this is one of those rules that’s meant to be broken—depending upon the specific scene at hand. Oban discusses how modern cameras handle ISO, the actual impact on image quality, and why and when using a higher sensitivity setting can often produce better results. So let’s debunk this familiar myth together once and for all so that you no longer limit your creativity.
In basic terms, ISO is a camera setting (one of the three parameters of the Exposure Triangle) that enables you to control the sensitivity of a camera’s sensor to light. The higher the ISO setting, the more sensitive the sensor will be. It’s sort of like increasing volume on an audio speaker—which increases distortion and lowers sound quality the higher you go. Or so the theory goes.
Oban explains that in digital photography ISO refers to the amplification of the signal that a camera’s sensor receives when capturing an image. Distortion in this regard is exhibited as “noise”—or as Oban puts it, “the random variation of brightness or color information which can make images appear grainy.”
In other words, instead of using a larger aperture or slower shutter speed to physically brighten an image, higher ISO settings do so electronically. Given the foregoing, at this point you’re likely wondering why you shouldn’t follow the old rule and use the lowest ISO offered by the camera.
But there’s a catch. According to Oban “ISO doesn’t create noise, it only reveals the noise that would otherwise be hidden in a well-exposed image.” Understanding this fact and knowing how to put it to work is the essence of the surprising revelations in the remainder of this eye-opening lesson.
If you’re still in doubt, hear Oban out, and look at the illustrative images that he uses to prove his point. Then, by following his advice, you’ll feel free to crank up ISO within reasonable limits and capture some beautiful photographs that you previously thought were impossible.
There’s much more to learn on Oban’s popular YouTube channel, and in a recent tutorial we posted—demonstrating how to improve your landscape processing workflow with a unique pre-editing strategy.
Nobody wants soft photos and there are several ways to sharpen things up in Lightroom depending upon the task at hand. In this 5-minute tutorial from one of our favorite post-processing experts you’ll learn to use Capture Sharpening and how this method differs from Output Sharpening.
Julieanne Kost is an expert at all things Adobe and her concise instructional videos are very popular among Shutterbug readers because they’re extremely helpful and straight to the point. This episode explains the concept behind the Lightroom’s Capture Sharpening tool and when and how to use it.
Kost kicks off the lesson with this definition: “In the most general sense, sharpening sliders are used to fool the eye into thinking that the image is sharper than it really is by adding contrast along edges in an image.” She explains that Capture Sharpening is found within Lightroom’s Develop module.
This tool is designed “to make up for any loss of sharpness when demosaicing a file or when rotating, straightening, and performing other perspective corrections on an image.” This is different from Output Sharpening which is employed before exporting a photo for a specific device—like a screen or to print on a specific paper stock.
It’s preferable to view an image at 100% so you can evaluate the sharpening effects accurately and don’t take things too far. Because this approach prevents you from seeing the entire image at once, you can then hold down the spacebar to navigate to another area of the frame, then click to display that portion of the shot at 100% in Lightroom’s Details panel.
Kost discusses the default settings and says they typically work really well “and you may not have to make additional adjustments.” This is because Lightroom adds a default amount of sharpening, depending upon the specific brand and model of camera that was used to capture the photo.
We’re not going to summarize the necessary steps for using Capture Sharpening properly because Kost provides an admirable explanation in the final three minutes of this five-minute lesson. Suffice to say that after watching this episode you’ll want to add this simple technique to your Lightroom bag of tricks.
Kost’s instructional YouTube channel contains short-and-sweet descriptions of just about any Lightroom and Photoshop technique imaginable, so be sure to pay a visit and expand your image-editing skills.
And don’t miss the tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates seven important Photoshop settings that he says, “you need to change now.”
This tutorial from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel will be really helpful the next time you capture seascapes or landscape photos from the shore of a lake. As instructor Christian Mohrle says, “This Lightroom trick will make water reflections “POP!”
Mohrle is a notable German pro whose shooting and post-processing videos are among the most popular that we post. As always you can follow along and mimic his adjustments by downloading his demonstration image with a link beneath the video. He walks you through the entire step-by step process from basic enhancements and masking to color grading, sharpening and more.
The preliminary global adjustments help create a solid base image for the selective enhancements that follow, and Mohrle begins by changing the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Standard which provides more a bit more control over contrast with photos like the one you see here.
Next Mohrle turns his attention to White Balance because he’s unhappy with the super strong blue cast in the shot. As you’ll see, there are several Lightroom techniques for correcting this anomaly and Mohrle explains the approach he prefers to achieve a neutral look. He then gently increases exposure, boosts contrast, and drops highlights to introduce more details in the bright sky.
Other preliminary adjustments include increasing Texture and dropping Clarity and Dehaze. Now it’s time to deal with those dull reflections to really boost the impact of water in Mohrle’s pretty alpine lake scene.
Mohrle begins this transformative stage in Lightroom’s Masking panel by adding a rectangular Linear Gradient over the water that fills the lower half of the frame. He then demonstrates a variety of enhancements to dramatically accentuate the reflections. He also explains how to refine the straight line of demarcation between the lake and the top half of his shot.
A couple more masks are introduced, including a partial sky selection with Exposure and Texture modifications that further improve the look. He also adds a subtle vignetting effect “to guide the viewer’s eyes toward the center of the image.”
All that remains to complete the eye-catching edit are a few color adjustments and very careful sharpening. Just compare Mohrle’s before/after examples and you’ll be duly impressed. Then head over to the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel where you’ll find a wealth of shooting and editing videos for making the most of every scene you encounter in the field.
We also suggest watching the earlier tutorial we featured with another expert who demonstrates how to add drama to your photographs by emphasizing shadows, silhouettes, and bold shapes.
