For those of us who have used film cameras, the term ISO probably isn't completely foreign. However, in the digital age, understanding ISO has become somewhat obsolete, although knowing how your ISO works can still help you manipulate your camera to take the best image possible.

ISO is a number; it isn't really an abbreviation for something. We get the term from the Greek work isos, which means equal. ISO is basically a measure of the sensitivity of the part of your camera that works to collect the light and translate it into an image when the shutter is open. For film cameras, the photosensitive subject is the film itself. In digital cameras, there is a charge coupled device, or a CCD, that works to translate light into electrons, and therefore pixels.

With film, you can buy different levels of ISO. Higher numbers mean higher sensitivity to light. Higher ISO is better in areas that do not have a lot of light. This is good for night photography when a flash won't really work to capture a large image. However, the higher the ISO, the more "noisy" the picture is. In digital and film cameras, noise is the graininess of a picture. Luckily, you can sometimes use a photo-editing software to help you smooth out this noise.

Adjusting your ISO can be extremely helpful when you are doing night photography. Pictures at night are often underexposed, and you see pinpoints of light in a sea of darkness. Opening up your aperture and slowing your shutter speed can also result in an overexposed image. However, accurately adjusting your lens diameter, shutter speed, and ISO can contribute to a perfect picture that captures an image as it appears to the naked eye.

For night photography, you may want to have the lowest ISO possible while still having the right amount of exposure. Increasing the sensitivity level will of course allow for more light recorded, but it can also make for noise. A good rule of thumb for night photography is setting your camera at the lowest ISO possible while still maintaining the true picture.

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