The meaning of luxury

When people think of the word ‘luxury’, an image of superfluous, expensive goods and services often comes to mind. For a long time, luxury was considered the ultimate sign of prosperity and a high standard of living. After all, luxury has often had an exclusive reputation in the past. For example, expensive cars, extravagant restaurants and prestigious fashion brands are still considered a sign of prosperity today. Whether it’s a Breitling watch, designer jeans or your first condominium – for many, luxury is what you don’t take for granted.

Not always a material good

Yet this does not always have to be a material good. In fact, luxury can also consist of immaterial things. A relaxing vacation, a nice experience in the morning or simply spending time with friends and family can definitely be perceived as luxurious without the need for a material background. Luxury is often about the feeling of exclusivity and specialness, regardless of whether it is a material good or not.

Differences depending on the country

The definition of luxury also varies from country to country. While in some cultures luxury is associated with swanky cars and expensive designer handbags, in other countries a simple lifestyle focused on sustainability and modesty is perceived as luxurious.

Country-specific preferences are therefore clearly discernible. In German-, Italian-, English- and Japanese-speaking countries, time spent with friends and family is seen as small luxury moments in everyday life. In Spain, the feeling of luxury is associated with expressing oneself visually and dressing as one pleases, and for the French, the word luxury brings to mind a tasty meal and a lovely wine.

This means luxury in the different countries:

• Germany, Italy & Co: Time with friends & family
• Spain: Self-expression and freedom
• France: Tasty food

A definition in flux

What is luxury and what is not depends to a large extent on cultural, historical and economic factors. At the same time, the perspective on luxury is currently changing. A new standard is taking hold, characterized by a modest yet comfortable lifestyle.

So in today’s society, the importance of intangible luxuries is increasing. Many people value a healthy lifestyle, sustainability and spiritual fulfillment. So a relaxing weekend in nature, a yoga session or a good book can be perceived as luxurious experiences.

Even the little things in life count

Luxury can also mean taking time and leisure for the little things in life and being happy about them. This is not necessarily about material things, but rather about focusing your attention on the things in life that are really important. It can be about taking time to spend with those close to you, focusing on your hobbies and interests, or simply being out in nature. For many people, this is a form of luxury that is priceless and gives them more joy and satisfaction in life.

What does luxury mean to you?

Luxury is therefore a subjective concept and differs from person to person. While for some, material possessions and the associated quality of life embody the concept of luxury, for others, the focus is on enjoying the little things in life. It’s about a holistic approach where luxury also means driving positive change. In this way, consuming luxury not only means adding personal value, but also benefits the planet and people. So what does luxury mean to you?

ISO value – What is that?

The ISO value describes the light sensitivity of the sensor. ISO is the abbreviation for International Organization for Standardization. The ISO value of your camera is therefore an internationally standardized value. It means the same in Japan as in Sweden. The higher the ISO value, the higher the light sensitivity of the sensor. The ISO value is another way to influence your photo, in addition to shutter speed and aperture.

If the environment is rather dark and you have no possibility to illuminate it by flash or any other means, then you can set the ISO value of your camera higher and thus achieve a higher light sensitivity of the sensor. A small amount of light is then sufficient to obtain a correctly exposed photo. Accordingly, you can then choose a shorter shutter speed to avoid blurring or motion blur (if not explicitly desired). For example, a higher ISO value is required in most churches or for outdoor photography at dusk. You can orientate yourself on the following values:

• ISO 100-200: Photographing in the sun
• ISO 400-800: Dusk or heavy cloud cover (thunderstorm, storm)
• ISO > 800: poorly lit interiors, at night

An example: You want to “freeze” children jumping on the trampoline in the air. That means you have to set a short shutter speed. But it has already started to dawn an hour ago and at the back of the horizon a thunderstorm is coming up. It is so dark that a shutter speed that would actually “freeze” the children would produce a clearly underexposed photo. The solution is of course either a flashgun or simply to set the ISO value higher.

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The ISO value – the small, but fine hook

If you later look at the photo of the “frozen” children, correctly exposed thanks to the higher ISO value, you will probably notice that it is noisy. A higher ISO value unfortunately always means more image noise – these are some pixels that differ in color and brightness from the rest of the image (scissors). Thus, the image quality suffers from the higher ISO value. Depending on the camera and the ISO value, this is really extreme. You can remember:

• ISO high and bad light = poor picture quality
• ISO low and good light = good image quality

If you have your pictures taken by the camera in RAW format, you can reduce the noise later during image processing, but of course it is better not to have any noise in the picture at all. It is therefore advantageous to set a low ISO value (100-200) whenever possible and only increase the value if there are no alternatives, such as using a flash or a tripod. It has to be said that it is always better to have a sharp but noisy picture than a noiseless but blurred one.

ISO value for portrait photography

Portrait shots should always be taken with low ISO values, as the image noise at higher ISO values is extremely disturbing, especially in the human face. Use a studio flash system for portraits or wait for better light. Sometimes the situation does not allow you to think long about the correct ISO value. In this case, the camera’s ISO auto mode is recommended. Depending on the aperture and shutter speed, the camera then selects the correct ISO value.

Within certain limits, the ISO value can help compensate for poor lighting conditions. The worse the lighting conditions, the higher the ISO value should be. However, ISO settings that are too high should be avoided as they lead to annoying image noise.

Photography: Increase of the ISO value

What is the isovalue?