High ISO as an effect - example photos...

<p>I've been asked to present at my Digital Photography class this weekend on ISO and one of things I'm looking for is examples of photos where the photographer has used high ISO intentionally to create a grainy effect. Can anyone share any examples? I've searched the net, but I'm not coming up with anything good.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Steve</p>

<p>Hmmmm, it does make sense but I've never intentionally done it as it can easily been done in Photoshop after the fact.</p>

<p>I've shot high ISO but only to get a high enough shutter speed for what I needed at the time.</p>

<p>Here is a trick I use. Convert to black & white and then add "Film Grain" if you have access to that filter. It hides or mask the ugly color noise and makes the photo appear like grainy high speed film - sometimes.</p>

<p>Hmmm... We don`t know so much about high ISO grainy images, check what the D700 gives at 25600ISO... ^^<br /><br /> <img src="http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00Q/00QMcj-61141684.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="434" /></p>

<p>(D700 @ 25600 ISO + 35/1.4 AiS, 1/60 - f4, lighter illumination)</p>

<p>Steve, since it's for a class, and presumably you have access to a digital camera, why not take a few pictures and use your own work as examples?</p>

<p>Jose - showoff...</p>

<p>Michael, what Jose is showing here is the the problem. Even with my D300s, I've having a hard time getting grainy images at 6400. My instructor asked me to show some examples of poor quality images at higher ISO, and frankly I'm not able to produce them. My only other camera is a Fuji X100 and it's even better at high ISO than my Nikon. I uess this is the trouble with advancements in technology!!</p>

<p>Lightroom has a grain function under effects, with amount, size and roughness, maybe try that?</p>

<p>Here's a first attempt I made some time ago: http://www.photo.net/photo/6526618<br /> Not just high-iso, but also accentuating the pixelized nature of the image.<br /> It isn't a very good composition, but I thought the effect was kind of neat; a little bit like <a title="Pointillism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointillism">pointillist</a> paintings (ex. Georges Seurat's <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Georges_Seurat_026.jpg">The Seine and la Grande Jatte</a>).</em><br>

<br /> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/6526618-lg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500" /><br /> <em></em></p>

<p>Steve, you can get grainy (noisy) images from just about any camera - it's all about Signal-to-Noise ratio. Take a picture under low light while severely underexposing it at the highest ISO (12800), then crank up the luminance gain under software. </p>

<p>I shot this test picture of my little brother some time ago with my D7000 at ISO 25600. It has no added noise reduction, we can still see the effect.<br>

EDIT: It has Lightroom color noise correction, silly me. <br /> <img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5BQK4fpElAs/Tnpu8PX3yJI/AAAAAAAAFR0/48AbOOi2clM/04_juillet_2011B-1518.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="530" /></p>

<blockquote>

<p>Take a picture under low light while severely underexposing it at the highest ISO (12800), then crank up the luminance gain under software.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I should have mentioned that's about exactly what I did.<br>

The underexposure is the key step.<br>

I also cropped out a very small section of the image, expanded it so the pixels were visible, and applied a strong unsharp-mask filter to accentuate the local contrast changes.</p>

<p>what a completely counter-intuitive task. it's interesting that this isn't that easy to do with today's cameras unless you manipulate it after the fact. anyway, FWIW, here's the D3s @ ISO8000.</p><div></div>

<p>For comparison with Eric's picture above, D70 @ ISO-1600 severely underexposed and endlessly post-processed to reduce noise.</p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3753689-md.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="451" /></p>

<p>Thanks guys. This helps.</p>

<p>Here's a D80 image at ISO 3200 noise reduction off.</p>

<p><a title="D80_ISO3200 by photogsjm, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2931378171_d175105019.jpg" alt="D80_ISO3200" width="500" height="335" /></a></p>

<p>I have been using High-ISO effects coupled with historical soft-focus lenses to achieve a stylistic effect. I have an exhibit of seven large prints opening October 4, 6:30 pm in the Meany Hall Lower Lobby Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle. These will be on exhibit for the next 12 months:<br /> <a href="http://hemingway.cs.washington.edu/portfolio/#/content/029-Arboretum/1-Artist's%20Statement.jpg">http://hemingway.cs.washington.edu/portfolio/#/content/029-Arboretum/1-Artist's%20Statement.jpg</a><br /> Many of those were shot above ISO 2000; several were at ISO 3200. The effect, printed large on fine-art paper is stunning.<br /> Bruce Hemingway<br /> <a href="http://gplus.to/BruceHemingway">+Bruce</a></p><div></div>

<p>Very nice portfolio, Bruce. I like that colourful Arboretum pics.<br />Please excuse me, curiosity is killing me... Could I ask how do you use the D3 with the Imagon or the Pinkham? Via LF camera back, maybe?</p>

<p>Thanks, Jose. I have two Imagons, and both were originally made for use on medium-format cameras. One, 120mm, was used on a Leica and had a t-mount, which made adapting it a matter of finding the right adapter. That is the lens I used for the Pictorialist Arboretum series.</p>

<p>The other, 200mm, was made for Mamiya RB67, and needed a focusing helical. I now use it on a Linhof lensboard, and use the Nikon D3 on a CameraFusion sliding digital back. I have many large-format lenses that I can use that way.</p>

<p>The Pinkham & Smith is mounted on a gutted 50mm Nikon lens, and mounts directly. There is a photo of it in the P&S lens gallery on my site.</p>

<p>-Bruce</p>

<p>Stuart, a Distortion + !! Are you a guitar player? That's my other passion.</p>

<p>Very interesting, Bruce. I have a few vintage lenses that I`d like to use on DSLRs... thanks!</p>

<p>What this all demonstrates is that the digital technology -- regardless of where it is found (camera CCD or software) is a powerful creative tool that many may ignore. We are no longer confined to the very limited world of lenses, cameras, film and chemistry. The limitations today have more to do with the boundaries around your imagination.</p>

<p>For those who are interested, here is a 100% crop from the image I showed above, showing the effect of the noise as a stylistic effect.</p>

<p>-Bruce</p>

<div></div>

<p>Here is another crop that shows the "painterly" effect the noise gives in <a href="http://hemingway.cs.washington.edu/portfolio/#/content/029-Arboretum/Arboretum-12.jpg">this image</a>:</p>

<p>-Bruce</p><div></div>

<p>If you're looking for a noisy effect, you're better off doing it in software than by increasing ISO IMO. Modern cameras do not give the kind of visibly grainy appearance by just increasing ISO ... well if you go to top ISO, then underexpose by 2 stops (and correct the exposure in post-processing) then you might get what you're looking for, but not just by shooting normally at the highest ISO.</p>