Hello photo friends!
Today I will be sharing some insight on Shutter Speed! Shutter Speed controls how long the light is exposed to the camera. This also known as Exposure Time. Shutter Speed, along with Aperture and ISO, helps to form the exposure trifecta that allows for greater control over your images.
Shutter Speed is measured in seconds (or fractions of a second, depending on your subject). Here are some examples of how Shutter Speed is typically written:
- 1/60
- 1/250
- 1/500
- 1/1000
- 1/1250
Of course, these are just a few examples. When shooting a fast moving subject, like the player(s) at a soccer game for example, it is a good idea to keep your Shutter Speed at 1/500 or higher. This means that the shutter is not open for a very long time, only 1/500th of a second. Shutter Speeds that are this high or fast will help to freeze moments that you want to capture.
There are also benefits to keeping your Shutter Speed open for longer periods of time too. You can keep your Shutter Speed at 1 second or more. When you do this, it is written with an inches mark ( ” ) like this:
- 1″
- 2″
- 3″
- 4″
- 5″
Leaving your shutter open for this long can give your photos some neat qualities. For example, if your subject was a waterfall, you could slow your Shutter Speed to a few seconds to smooth out the water. It gives your photos the illusion of movement, and making it look like you’re actually watching the water fall. This trick can give you much more interesting photos.
Make sure to use Shutter Speeds appropriately! If you mix up your Shutter Speeds, it can create some blurry photos. However, exploring your Shutter Speeds can make for some more visually interesting (and cool) photos. For example, if you use a slow Shutter Speed to capture light, it can look like objects are moving, and create a visual illusion.
Happy shooting!
Steve
steve shoots 