Project: noise

Noise is an imaging artefact - an error of capture that has nothing to do with the actual scene being photographed. It resembles graininess in film, but its causes are different.

Noise increases with higher sensitivity settings just as graininess is stronger in high-speed films. It appears as speckles, which can be black, or coloured, or bright, depending on the scene and the exposure.

Looking at the 'Grey Texture' image from the Key Resources section of the student website the noise can be clearly seen. The different kinds of texture in the garment, folds, vertical ribbing and a mottling in the grey cloth, which appears to be noise but is actually detail in the cloth but could be considered to be just noise. Distinguishing detail from noise is ultimately subjective.