Turn down that NOISE!

I took a photography class a few months ago and in one of the lessons we discussed ISO. No idea what it stands for, but it means how sensitive to light you want your camera to be. Remember when we had FILM and we got to choose the speed?... 200, 400, 800 etc. That's the same as ISO. (I wrote that more for MY benefit rather than YOURS! You're sharp and probably know all about ISO and would NEVER ever EVER forget to change it when needs be!!) We discussed having too high an ISO... our teacher said it created NOISE. Did he just say NOISE? What the heck is NOISE? I recently learned the meaning of NOISE! See all the grainy-ness in these pictures? On skin especially.
THAT IS NOISE! Doesn't it hurt your ears?

These aren't bad pictures... some people actually LIKE the grain...there's an ACTION for it in my PSE5. It breaks my heart, though, to think if I had remembered to change my ISO, these pictures may have turned out better. I could have chosen whether I wanted the grain or not.

Oh well. Next time!

It's all BABY STEPS.