4 What is Shutter Speed?

Photography for Beginners | Learn the Basics of Photography

We looked at aperture last episode, in this one we’re going to look at how shutter speed affects your image.

Think of the shutter as a curtain that opens and closes to let light hit your camera’s sensor. Shutter speed is quite simply how fast that curtain opens and closes, thereby controlling how much light is let into the camera. It can create dramatic effects by blurring motion and freezing it, and is also important in gaining correct exposure. The first step in using shutter speed to shape your images is to understand how it works.

Watch a video and learn more about shutter speed here: https://photographyandfriends.com/what-is-shutter-speed/

How Shutter Speed Affects Your Images

Shutter speed means the length of time your camera shutter is open to let light in to your camera sensor. It’s measured in fractions of seconds right up to minutes. A fast shutter speed can freeze motion – think of birds in flight, or athletes caught in a moment of action – and a slow one will give a motion blur to anything moving. Think of those images of waterfalls where the water is white and silky-smooth, or an image shot from a moving vehicle.

If you are shooting at night or in low light, you’ll need to use a slow shutter speed – the shutter will stay open longer to allow as much light as possible in to the sensor, so you don’t end up with an underexposed photograph.

You’ll probably need to use a tripod at shutter speeds of less than 1/60th of a second or your image will become blurred through camera shake– in my case, I know from experience that I cannot hand-hold my camera at anything less than 1/100th second because it’s simply impossible to keep it perfectly still for any longer than that. With practice, you will come to know what your own limit for hand-holding your camera is.

If you are shooting on a bright, sunny day, you’ll need to use a high shutter speed so as not to over-expose your image. The shutter will open and close extremely quickly to limit the amount of light hitting the sensor.

A fast shutter speed is generally anything above 1/250th of a second, and should freeze movement, and a slow shutter speed is generally anything under 1/30th of a second, and will blur anything moving even slightly.

About this podcast:

Are you a beginner photographer who wants to learn how to improve your photography? This is the perfect photography podcast for you.

In this podcast series, you'll learn how to expose with your camera - using the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings. You'll learn about composition, and what it takes to compose a better image using photography rules of thumb, as well as knowing how to break those rules. And finally, you'll learn how to tell stories with your photos.

If you want to take your photo skills even further, head over to PhotographyandFriends.com for free tutorials, premium courses, one-on-one coaching, and the friendliest photography community online.