Can someone explain ISO to me...

[CP_alum08]

I've had my DSLR for about 5 years now, but in the last 6 months I have been taking the time to get to know the camera and actualy use the camera in the way it was meant to be used. I have been pouring over the forums, Tom Brickers website and the Disneyphotography blog so that I can get up to speed on cameras and photography in general.

You need to get out of the Disney sites. Those sites are fine and the people who run them know what they are talking about, but they focus on a very niche area of photography. Disney is a great place to shoot because there are so many different things, but you need the background knowledge to make the best of those situations. Go to the library or book store and pick up some general purpose, beginner-type books; composition, exposure, etc. It will help!

 

[NowInc]

OR if you need more "visual" explanations of what to do..I have watched a bunch of things by this guy and can say that tho they are a BIT long..the videos do help.. http://www.karltaylorphotography.com/

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

You need to get out of the Disney sites. Those sites are fine and the people who run them know what they are talking about, but they focus on a very niche area of photography. Disney is a great place to shoot because there are so many different things, but you need the background knowledge to make the best of those situations. Go to the library or book store and pick up some general purpose, beginner-type books; composition, exposure, etc. It will help!

I have already looked into this and I appreciate the advice. At this point I am gearing up for a trip in late November that's why I have been focused on photography having to do with Disney. Photography in general is such a large hobby that in my opinion there needs to be a starting point, in my case its taking photos at WDW.

But as I stated in an earlier post, I am starting to set aside time on a weekly basis to improve my photography skills at home. Just this past weekend I spent some time at my local zoo and botanical gardens prior to getting rained out. I am planning on a return trip in a few weeks. This upcoming weekend I am hoping to take some pictures out at local lake and park. I am hoping that by doing this, it will improve my chances at WDW.

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

OR if you need more "visual" explanations of what to do..I have watched a bunch of things by this guy and can say that tho they are a BIT long..the videos do help.. http://www.karltaylorphotography.com/

Thanks for the link, I'll be sure to take some time out this evening to watch the videos. Thanks again.

 

[KeithVH]

Great links to cover fireworks shooting:

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/fireworks.html

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Fireworks.aspx

 

[AtlantaPhotog]

http://www.learnslr.com/slr-beginner-guide

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

Great links to cover fireworks shooting:

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/fireworks.html

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Fireworks.aspx

Thank you, I'll take a look later today.

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

http://www.learnslr.com/slr-beginner-guide

I'll take a look at this first chance I get. Thanks.

 

[ddbowdoin]

nothing beats learning like actually doing...

take a subject and shoot an image at each ISO setting, download onto your machine... and open those suckers up at 100%, and look at the grain.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

A slight adendum on the topic of ISO and fireworks. The correct answer isn't always the lowest ISO available on your camera. The ideal setting is the "base" ISO for your camera.

For example, on my Nikon D700 the base ISO is ISO 200. I always shoot at ISO 200 because of this.

You will want to select the ISO that provides the maximum dynamic range for optimal highlight and shadow recovery. If you shoot at a lower setting than base, you will be sacrificing your ability to recover highlights and pull details from the shadows. Digital camera sensors don't really have different ISOs like film, it's more based on digital manipulation of the curves the camera applies to the raw photons the sensor is exposed to. When in doubt with an DSLR, always stick with base ISO as it is what all other sensitivities are based on for that device. They will always have the most dynamic range. On my D700, dropping under 200 sacrifices highlight recovery, which is especially important in fireworks.

If your base ISO is not the lowest setting on your camera, you will need to compensate for the extra sensitivity by increasing your f/stop and/or ND filtering.

Wishes is actually a lot harder of a show to capture than Illuminations because ideally you are exposing for both the firework bursts AND the castle. Depending on how long of exposures you are going for, the castle can easily blow out due to the intense saturation of the LED lights.

Whatever ISO you use, make sure you shoot fireworks in RAW format or you will be sacrificing a significant amount of dymanic range and afterall... what's more dynamic than a fireworks display.