Shutter Speed
- 1. Shutter Speed Shutter Speed is one of the three pillars of photography, the other two being ISO and Aperture. Shutter speed is where the other side of the magic happens – it is responsible for creating dramatic effects by either freezing action or blurring motion.
- 2. What is Shutter Speed? • Shutter speed, also known as “exposure time”, stands for the length of time a camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. If the shutter speed is fast, it can help to freeze action completely. As seen in above in the picture:
- 3. • If the shutter speed is slow, it can create an effect called “motion blur”, where moving objects appear blurred along the direction of the motion. This effect is used quite a bit in advertisements of cars and motorbikes, where a sense of speed and motion is communicated to the viewer by intentionally blurring the moving wheels.
- 4. How shutter speed is measured? • Shutter speeds are typically measured in fractions of a second, when they are under a second. For example 1/4 means a quarter of a second, while 1/250 means one two-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second or four milliseconds. • Most modern DSLRs can handle shutter speeds of up to 1/4000th of a second, while some can handle much higher speeds of 1/8000th of a second and faster. The longest shutter speed on most DSLRs is typically 30 seconds (without using external remote triggers). DSLR - A digital single-lens reflex camera
- 5. Fast, slow and long shutter speeds • Fast shutter speed is typically whatever it takes to freeze action. • For me, it is typically above 1/250th of a second for general photography and above 1/500h of a second for sport and bird photography. Long shutter speeds are typically above 1 second, when you have to use a tripod to get acceptably sharp images (for low-light/night photography or to capture movement).
- 6. How to set shutter speed • Most cameras handle shutter speeds automatically through in-camera metering. When the camera is set to “Auto” mode, both shutter speed and aperture are automatically selected by the camera. When you shoot in “Aperture Priority” mode, you set the lens aperture, while the camera automatically sets the shutter speed. There are two ways to manually set the shutter speed: a) By setting the camera to “Shutter Priority” mode, where you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically selects the aperture. b) By setting the camera to “Manual” mode, where you set both shutter speed and aperture manually. • I recommend, at first, letting the camera select the correct shutter speed for you, with practice and a better understanding of the other two pillars, then you may move on to the "Manual" mode. (I personally shoot in “Manual” mode 99% of the time and I calculate the shutter speed, aperture and ISO for creative freedom.)
- 7. Activity: • In pairs match the definition to the descriptor • Shutter speed.............................. Fractions of a second • Shutter speeds is measured in................. length of time/freezing motion/blurred motion • DSLR..................Digital Single Lens Reflex camera • Shutter Priority.......................Where you set the shutter speed and aperture manually • Manual mode...............Where you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically selects the aperture