LOW LIGHT AND HIGH ISO PHOTOGRAPHY: Do what the best low light photographers do!

Want to take amazing wildlife photos? Check out my new course with 20 modules and over 5 hours of content, no fluff!

My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Canada. In this video, I show you my top tips for shooting in low light. I'll explain what causes noise in your images, explain how ISO works, and help you capture more light and get cleaner images.

My equipment:

2023 Calendar is ready!

Follow me on:
00:00 Introduction
00:53 How much light is available?
03:02 Lenses and aperture
05:28 Shutter speed
08:14 What is ISO?
11:00 What causes noise anyway?
12:10 Camera sensor sizes
14:43 Processing noisy images

[simon_dentremont]

Please ignore all these “Text me…” messages…they’re not from

[radshoesbro]

I'm a concert photographer and more often than not I'm shooting at 1/250, f2.8 and ISO 6400. I've had artists use my work on albums and merchandise. I can say first hand, don't be afraid of high ISO.

[hughchisholm-ns]

It isn't fair! Why weren't you there ten years ago when I was starting to learn about digital photography? You are an incredible teacher and your explanations are always clear, concise and easy to understand. Thanks again for putting these helpful videos together. I can't wait for next week's video!

[chrismcnevin]

I'm an instructor in a different discipline who dabbles in photography. Simon d'Entremont is one of the best youtube teachers I've ever seen, succint and with great delivery. Subscribed.

[steveshubert]

I hate to publicly gush, but... oh my gosh, this is undoubtedly one of the BEST tutorials I have come across in my time as an "I'm stuck forever as an Amateur because I'll never know how they get those incredibly sharp pictures" photographer. Your ability to explain things - and your willingness to go against "conventional wisdom" in explaining what ISO is and how it works - as well as your pace of teaching has been so incredibly helpful AND encouraging. We're just now entering the winter season here in east Texas, so the opportunities for photography have almost completely come to a screeching halt, but I can hardly wait to get out and try some of these techniques you've explained…especially the next time I want to go out and try to capture a sunset/sunrise. Again, I really feel silly "gushing" like this on a public forum, but thank you so much for sharing your experience with the rest of us. This has been one of the best tutorials I've come across yet and I genuinely appreciate you taking time to help those of us who are in a real struggle to master this craft. Thank you!

[ketchy]

Thinking about the ISO as a "messenger" of how much light is available is a really helpful concept. I will definitely keep this In mind when shooting in the future.

[VTGGT]

PRO TIP: go to 14:43 if you are familiar with why a photo has noise. This is where it explaines how to remove noise.
Thank you for this video Simon I've learned a lot

[billyd]

Wow, a creator who gets straight to the point, clearly and precisely, and also takes the time to read through the comments and answer questions. You got my sub! Great job!

[MattH]

As an amateur photographer, this explanation of ISO has made the most sense to me after watching so many other tutorials.

[ColleenNicoleLogan]

Simon,
You are a WONDERFUL and gifted teacher. You really have a way with communicating and sharing complex information in such a digestible way and your tutorials are top notch! It's clear you put a lot of time and energy into your videos and it is deeply appreciated! Thank you so much for the amazing high quality content you create ! ❤😊👌👍🙌

[thetravelliingtog]

Since getting into sports photography, in particular downhill mountain biking, the learning curve around ISO has been a long, hard ride. This video has given me even more insight, thank you. Friends have always told me to shoot as close to ISO 100, but after underexposing 1000s of images, and trying to edit it out, I eventually learnt that ISO wasn't my enemy. I generally shoot on manual and have recently increased auto ISO from 4000 to 6400. Still producing clean images, particularly for web viewing, and even recieved some prints that look a million times better than underexposed / over edited.

[Karmah]

I have been using my first camera these days with the settings that other videos are saying, low ISO, low exposure for better editing, and now with this information I have better performance in low light environments, as a beginner photographer I could say this information is gold

[yomismo]

When someone knows something very well, he/she have the natural ability to easily explain it and make others understand it without any problem.
Tyvm Simon!🙏🙏🏽🙏🏿

[TomCarter-xv]

Thanks so much for these great tips, Simon! I took your advice and shot some elk at twilight tonight, first several at ISO 1250 (1/125 s) and the rest at ISO 2500 (1/250 s). In contrast to elk shots I took last night (ISO from 200 to 680), tonights' elk eyes were crystal sharp and glistening. Gorgeous! And all because of your suggestion to embrace high ISO! I so appreciate all your videos!

[axelbostrom]

The dots explanation of noise and ISO is the best I've ever seen. Wonderfully explained! 🙏

[tpaine]

Thank you for your channel. I have been doing photography for about 15 years... at least seriously, but I still find nuggets in your videos to help me improve. However, while I do agree it is low light that forces high ISO, there is a source of noise that you may not be aware of. Depending upon how ISO is implemented in the camera, it can be a source of noise as the ISO is like the gain control on a radio receiver. It increases the sensitivity of the sensor by amplifying the electronic signal produced by the sensor. You may not be aware, that all electronic components generate noise. If you turn an old TV set to a dead channel, you will see snow on the screen. On a radio, it is the hissing sound that you hear when there is no signal as the automatic gain control increases the amplification of the signal. So, a resistor in a circuit can create 'noise' that, in a camera, manifests itself as noise on the photo. So, high ISO, i.e. gain in the signal amplifier can be a source of noise. I worked for 35 years in electrical engineering and have measured just this phenomenon. Please do not think I am criticising you, far from it. I enjoy your channel and have learned much from you. Please keep up the good work. It is much appreciated!

[Mariosyjp]

This is by far the best youtube tutorial on low light photography period!
Thank you for sharing everything

[stevelinscomb]

I'm really blown away at how well you explain the whole issue of shooting in low light. Thank you for being such a good communicator about this challenge. Explained concisely, with examples and specs on f-stop and ISO are truly helpful. What a lesson.

[PeterDavis-cl]

Simon, I can very easily understand why I subscribed to your channel. The content that you deliver for a newbie like me is incredible and I make a point of always rewatching each of your videos again, once I've had time to absorb what you're sharing. Thankyou millions

[asystasyorg]

Thanks, Simon, for a great and informative clip. There's so much art AND science in photography so it's truly refreshing to watch someone who can explain concepts clearly!