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Latest Chapter Assignments
Assignment: Experiment with ISO Speeds
Don't be bashful! If you want comments, give comments. You don't need to be an expert photographer to express your opinion about the work of others. You don't need to go into great depth. A simple remark about cropping, composition, color, subject matter, etc. can be of just as much help to a budding photographer as an in-depth critique.
It’s relatively easy to get a good exposure on a clear day when the sun is high and there is a lot of bright light to go around, but now that you know you can shoot in very dim light by raising your ISO speed, it’s time to experiment. For this assignment, try to think of some relatively (or very!) dim locations around your house or neighborhood — perhaps the interior of a church, Main Street after dark, or even a local carnival — and then crank up your ISO as far as it goes and see how creative you can get in dim light.
My assignment photo was shot at Mission San Xavier del Bac, a very old mission church (the current building was built between 1783 and 1797) just south of Tucson, Arizona. The interior of the church is very dim; the only light comes from a few incandescent lamps, a doorway, and a few small skylights. Taking pictures with a flash would destroy the atmosphere, and so the only solution was to raise my ISO up to 1600 (the highest setting on my Nikon D70s) and use the existing light. This photo of the Madonna (the religious one, not the rock star) was exposed for 1/20 second at f/4.2 using an 18-70mm Nikkor zoom lens. The camera was handheld, but I was using the back of a pew to steady my elbow and the camera. I would much prefer to use a tripod in this situation, but they’re not allowed.
Remember to visit www.pwassignments.com after you complete this assignment and share your favorite photo! It’s a community of enthusiastic photographers and a great place to view what other readers have created. You can also post comments, and read encouraging suggestions and feedback.
