{
  "id": 14217186,
  "title": "Slow shutter speed and sky-high ISO for wildlife photography – you must be kidding? “It’s the picture that counts,” says award-winning photographer of this stunning image of a black leopard at night",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/slow-shutter-speed-and-sky-high-iso-for-wildlife-photography-you-must",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-13T10:38:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Digital Camera World",
    "slug": "digital-camera-world",
    "url": "https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/awards-and-competitions/slow-shutter-speed-and-sky-high-iso-for-wildlife-photography-you-must-be-kidding-its-the-picture-that-counts-says-award-winning-photographer-of-this-stunning-image-of-a-black-panther-at-night"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Wildlife photographer Andy Rouse defies conventional wisdom by using high ISO and slow shutter speed settings for an award-winning photograph of a black leopard at night. Despite many photographers adhering to the mantra of keeping ISO as low as possible, Rouse explains that \"It's the picture that counts,\" not the settings. During a wildlife tour in Laikipia, central Kenya, Rouse captured the stunning image of a black leopard named Giza at ISO 51200 and a 1/15-second shutter speed. This unconventional approach resulted in a winning frame that stood out among thousands of similar images of Giza. Rouse's gear and settings included a Sony A1 II, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens, focal length of 122 mm, exposure of 1/15 sec, f/22, and ISO 51200. When he saw Giza walking, Rouse didn't have time to adjust the ISO, so he left it as is. Even though he would have preferred a lower ISO in hindsight, the high ISO post-processing was eliminated, and his image won a major award at the MontPhoto Contest. Rouse believes that his chosen settings allowed him to capture a \"different take\" on a much-photographed subject, impressing the MontPhoto judges.",
  "summary": "British wildlife photographer Andy Rouse recently won the MontPhoto Contest 2026 with an artistic nighttime frame of a leopard shot at ISO 51200 and a 1/15-second shutter speed",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}