Why I Stopped Worrying About ISO

Zagreb, Croatia - 2025, ISO 2000

I’ve been shooting for many years, and early in my photography, I was constantly reminded of the importance of using the lowest ISO possible. And to be fair, back in the early 2000s, ISO was something I needed to consider. Many early DSLR cameras weren’t handling noise all that well, so the ceiling was pretty limited before it reached what I would consider “unusable”. As a result, I had ISO 100 locked and did whatever I could to keep it that way. Sometimes I’d need 200, rarely pushed it past 400. I wasn’t comfortable using Auto ISO on my older cameras, as I knew that it could make or break an image. That was my approach, and a super clean image was an essential characteristic of what I thought made for a good photograph.

When I first started taking travel photos, I was still obsessed with low ISO. I was constantly afraid that noise would ruin my shots. Anything over ISO 800 was asking for trouble. But things have changed; my photography has evolved. I still love to sit down on a nice evening in front of my computer, listen to some lounge music, and dig into my captures. However, worrying about whether these images are immaculate and free from noise is a thing of the past. Don’t get me wrong, I may avoid a photo that clearly pushed the boundaries of noise, because the noise or grain detracts from what I consider the image’s focus, but for the most part, I rarely even take note of the ISO used to capture an image. With recent cameras, and in my case, the X-H2 that I use regularly, ISO is a non-issue. I always use auto ISO.

Over time, I’ve also learned that a bit of grain in my travel photos isn’t a problem; it’s a characteristic I now enjoy. It’s strange to think I’ve embraced something that I actively avoided before. But things change. It’s important to note that film itself has come back in a big way, and along with that, the aesthetic of a time past. Images on film are not perfect; they always have some grain or noise. The explosion in popularity of film simulations and recipes brought that look to a more mainstream audience: digital photographers.

Imperfections can create interest. Often, the perfect photos we see are technically fantastic but lack an emotional connection. It feels like it was produced rather than experienced. And travel photography isn’t about spotless perfection; it’s about emotion, memories, and environment. It’s about the moment and the experience.

So when I pack my minimal amount of gear for a trip now, I don’t stress about ISO anymore. Letting go of that old habit has made my travel photography more spontaneous and ultimately more fun.

Auto ISO all the time!