What’s the Deal with ISO (and why you should care...a lot)

2025-11-25

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ISO is one of those photography tools that feels like a superpower… right up until it bites you. In this solo deep dive, Court unpacks why ISO is both a “magical unicorn” and a ruthless double-edged sword: it can rescue your shot in low light, but it can also quietly inject noise and crush editability.You’ll learn what ISO actually does (and what it doesn’t), how to think about it in terms of light and "stops" and how to use it strategically in the field—especially in the real-world low-light scenarios we all love to shoot. Court also shares his go-to ISO workflo...

You’ll learn what ISO actually does (and what it doesn’t), how to think about it in terms of light and "stops" and how to use it strategically in the field—especially in the real-world low-light scenarios we all love to shoot. Court also shares his go-to ISO workflow, how to set guardrails so your camera doesn’t go rogue, and why modern de-noise software changes the risk/reward equation—but doesn’t eliminate it.

If ISO has ever felt confusing, intimidating, or like the setting you touch only when you’re desperate… this episode is your new playbook.

Expect to Learn:

What ISO is (in plain English)
ISO as part of the Exposure Triangle
Stops and ISO math (the simple rule)
The tradeoff: noise + reduced editability
Manual ISO vs Auto ISO
Avoiding Auto ISO “oops”
A field-friendly hack: slight underexposure
De-noise software: powerful but not magic
Two mechanical ways to keep ISO lower

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