shutter speed is ‘the amount of time that the shutter is open’.
The length of time that your image sensor ‘sees’ the scene you’re attempting to capture.
- Shutter speed is measured in seconds
- fractions of seconds.
- The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30).
- In most cases shutter speeds is 1/60th of a second or faster.
- If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60) you will need to either use a tripod or some some type of image stabilization (built in functionality).
- Some cameras also give you the option for very slow shutter speeds These are used in very low light situations, when you’re going after special effects and/or when you’re trying to capture a lot of movement in a shot).
- Some cameras also give you the option to shoot in ‘B’ (or ‘Bulb’) mode. Bulb mode lets you keep the shutter open for as long as you hold it down.
- To freeze movement in an image (like in the surfing shot above) you’ll want to choose a faster shutter speed and to let the movement blur you’ll want to choose a slower shutter speed. The actual speeds you should choose will vary depending upon the speed of the subject in your shot and how much you want it to be blurred.
- Motion is not always bad – I There are times when motion is good. For example when you’re taking a photo of a waterfall and want to show how fast the water is flowing, or when you’re taking a shot of a racing car and want to give it a feeling of speed, or when you’re taking a shot of a star scape and want to show how the stars move over a longer period of time etc. In all of these instances choosing a longer shutter speed will be the way to go. However in all of these cases you need to use a tripod or you’ll run the risk of ruining the shots by adding camera movement (a different type of blur than motion blur).
- Focal Length and Shutter Speed -Longer focal lengths will accentuate the amount of camera shake you have and so you’ll need to choose a faster shutter speed (unless you have image stabilization in your lens or camera).
