How should ISO fit into exposure decisions compared with aperture and shutter speed?
Asked 1/9/2013
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When setting exposure, should ISO usually be adjusted after choosing aperture and shutter speed, or should all three be treated equally from the start?
I often begin by deciding I want a certain aperture for depth of field or a certain shutter speed for motion. Then I adjust ISO until the meter shows a good exposure. Is that the right approach, or do photographers sometimes start by choosing an ISO first?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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It depends on your priorities. You have to start somewhere on the exposure triangle and prioritize accordingly depending on the shot you want. It depends on the creative impact of each parameter.
Examples from my photography:
- For landscapes, aperture is the priority to get the depth-of-field I need in the shot. Then I set the ISO as secondary to maximize image quality, maximize dynamic-range and minimize noise. I then let the shutter-speed be whatever is needed to expose the image as desired.
- For architecture, aperture is still the priority. I often set a long shutter-speed secondary to blur out people and then let the ISO be where it needs to be.
- For sports, I first set the ISO to the highest acceptable value for the intended print size. Then I set the aperture to something bright but maybe not the widest to account for focusing at the wrong distance. I let the shutter-speed set itself in that case.
- For creative work, aperture is the priority because it has the most impact on the image. If there is any movement, shutter-speed is next and finally ISO. If there is no movement, then ISO gets set before shutter-speed because, in such case, ISO has an impact on the image but shutter-speed does not.
ADDENDUM:
These are examples from my photography. None is an absolute rule either and I do select shutter-speed first on some rare occasions. The point is that each decision is guided by a mix of creativity and constraints. Creative options get chosen first and the last parameter generally falls into place. Even that, a carefully chosen ND filter can shift things to get something I deem a more desirable result.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one fixed order—your priority depends on the shot.
Aperture and shutter speed usually come first because they directly affect the look of the image: depth of field and motion blur. ISO is more often the technical setting you adjust to make that aperture/shutter combination workable at the available light level.
A common approach is:
- choose aperture for depth of field
- choose shutter speed for motion blur or camera shake
- set ISO as low as practical while still getting correct exposure
If the ISO required is too high for acceptable noise/image quality, that tells you there isn’t enough light for your chosen settings, so you may need to compromise on aperture, shutter speed, or add light.
That said, sometimes ISO is the starting point. For example, in sports or low light, a photographer may decide on the highest acceptable ISO first, then choose a fast enough shutter speed and a wide enough aperture. With film, ISO is often fixed for the whole roll, so it’s chosen before shooting.
So yes—using ISO after selecting aperture and shutter speed is a normal and sensible workflow, but not the only one.
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