Secrets of ISO, Exposure and Noise

blonde runner

The purpose of this article is to clear up myths and misinformation about image exposure, ISO, and noise. So, what is exposure exactly? Exposure is simply the amount of light reaching your sensor or film in a given amount of time. The amount of light reaching your sensor is determined by the length of time the camera’s shutter is open, and the size of the opening in your selected lens model.

American White Pelicans: A Spectacle at Manitou Lake

Pelicans

Finally getting around to a backlog of pictures, these from a beautiful morning on Manitou Lake with some American white pelicans, and a sassy red-winged blackbird.

Photo Adventure in the Arsenal

Snowy Egret

My alarm sounded long before sunrise and I struggled to open my eyes. A few seconds later, and I had vanquished the unwelcome noise and sat up in a daze. What was the reason for the rude awakening? I gathered my wits and remember that it was Friday, our day to get an early start for a photo adventure in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

June Newsletter

Chipmunk in Mine Country

I can't believe another summer is upon us, although my furnace is still coming on at night. It was a bleak spring for photography, with uncooperative weather and $5 a gallon gas putting a damper on my photo adventures. However, we are seeing more and more warm days, the migratory birds are returning, and parks that were closed for the winter are opening for the season. I'm looking forward to good times ahead!

Adjusting Your Lens: Finding Beauty in Nature

Violet -green Swallow

I’m always looking for the grand vista and the majestic beast to photograph, but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. When that happens though, one just needs to adjust the view a little bit to see all kinds of beauty to photograph. I was out hiking a couple days ago, early in the morning hoping for deer or elk in the meadow in the high meadow.

Checking on the Eagles

Bald Eaglets

We had a twofold reason for choosing the canyon as our weekly photo adventure. The first being that it is a great place to get close to some of the more majestic birds of Colorado, and second, we could check on the eaglets.

Rolling Shutter Explained

Northern House Wren

Rolling shutter is a term used to describe how data is transferred from an electronic sensor into the camera’s memory as an image. When you snap the shutter button, a series of actions is placed in motion and light hits the sensor to create an image. However it takes time for the camera to “roll” over the entire sensor to read the data that continues to be captured until the entire sensor has been read.

Exciting Day at the Eagles Nest

Bald Eagle Family

It was an exciting day at the eagles nest! Both adults were on the nest when I arrived at the canyon, so I stopped to snap as many pictures as I could before one of them flew off for their next meal.