What is Shutter Speed?

Defined most basically – shutter speed is ‘the amount of time that the shutter is open’. In photography shutter speed is the length of time that your image sensor ‘sees’ the scene you’re attempting to capture.

Let me break down the topic of “Shutter Speed” into some bite sized pieces that should help you get your head around shutter speed:

**Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30).

**In most cases you’ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to use without getting camera shake. Camera shake is when your camera is moving while the shutter is open and results in blur in your photos.

**If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60) you will need to either use a tripod or some type of image stabilization (more and more cameras are coming with this built in).

**Shutter speeds available to you on your camera will usually double (approximately) with each setting. As a result you’ll usually have the options for the following shutter speeds – 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 etc. This ‘doubling’ is handy to keep in mind as aperture settings also double the amount of light that is let in – as a result increasing shutter speed by one stop and decreasing aperture by one stop should give you similar exposure.

**Some cameras also give you the option for very slow shutter speeds that are not fractions of seconds but are measured in seconds (for example 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds etc). 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 want via a remote trigger (could be a cable or infrared remote)

**When considering what shutter speed to use in an image you should always ask yourself whether anything in your scene is moving and how you’d like to capture that movement. If there is movement in your scene you have the choice of either freezing the movement (so it looks still) or letting the moving object intentionally blur (giving it a sense of movement).


Handheld. ISO 2000 (so I can make the sensor more sensitive to light and therefore make the shutter work faster). f13. Most of the image is sharp with slight blurring of the foreground. Shutter 1/1250 so I can freeze the mud and water droplets in the air) (sorry for the big pic, having trouble with Photobucket )

**To freeze movement in an image you’ll want to choose a faster shutter speed, (say 1/500) and to let the movement blur you’ll want to choose a slower shutter speed (maybe 30 seconds or longer) 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.


Tripod. Manual setting. ISO 50. f/16. (remember the larger the number, the smaller the hole in the lens, the more of your image will be in focus. In other words, the larger the f number the larger part of your image will be in focus.) 1/60th second.


Tripod. Bulb setting. ISO 50. f/22. 119 seconds. The longer the shutter is open the more the sea smoothes out and mists, and the streaker the clouds. With water falls the water looks milky.

** 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 - another thing to consider when choosing shutter speed is the focal length of the lens you’re using. 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). The ‘rule’ of thumb to use with focal length in non image stabilized situations) is to choose a shutter speed that is larger than the focal length of the lens. For example if you have a lens that is 50mm 1/60th is probably ok but if you have a 200mm lens you’ll probably want to shoot at around 1/250.

Don't have a tripod?? Don't sweat it. You can use a bean bag to rest the camera on, or a bag of rice. Even your jumper or hat. A remote shutter release/trigger is much better than using the shutter button on the camera as just gently pressing that will vibrate it and spoil the shot. At last resort, use the timer on the camera on at least 2 seconds if not 10 seconds so the camera has time to settle before opening the shutter.

Point and shoot cameras may find pleasing results with freezing the action on the sports setting (running man) and letting the action blur find a mode that has the shutter open for longer... fireworks prehaps. Tell me what one works for you. Remember to tripod or have the camera firmly in place for this.

SLR's. I suggest you sit on
Manual.
ISO (I'd start at 400 to freeze, you may need to bump it up further to get the shutter to work faster). To blur the motion drop your ISO to 100 or lower.
f2.8 (or your smallest f number) to freeze action or f22 (or your largest f number)to blur the action.
1/500 shutter or faster to freeze, or 1 second or longer to let it flow.

I would love for you to really have a stab at manual. It's not frightening and you can't break or hurt the camera. If you just can't get the hang of it then move the dial to TV (shutter priority). You then dictate the speed of the shutter and the camera really does the rest of the work. But you may not get the creative control you are looking for. So set the speeds as explained above and check out the other info the camera has set for you. You just may learn something.

If you print out the above 2 paragraphs, contact or laminate it so it's durable, put in your camera bag for reference. And just go through it step by step to set up the camera, you can get the result you want.

YOUR CHALLENGE PEOPLE IS SHOOT AN IMAGE WITH EITHER ACTION THAT YOU HAVE FROZEN OR BLURRED, depending on your subject and shutter speed. Pop it up here on this tutorial thread with what camera settings you used. (right click on your image on your computer/properites/details. scroll down and all the info is there) I would like to know what f stop, what iso, what shutter speed

If you ask I will critique the shot and offer suggestions for you.

YOUR COMPETITION PEOPLE load up your one best shot into the October Challenge Gallery folder and you'll be in the running for a Scrap Therapy $25 Voucher which is valid for one month from announcement of the winner. And that will be announced with the rest of the October challenge winners on the first Saturday of November.

Again so much fantastic info Tiff - you make me want to go find a child to photograph - thankyou

Cool:) Thanks Tiff, appreciate all the help I can to get to know my camera even better!

Looking forward to having a go and seeing what I can create... Have a great weekend snapping away ladies, I know Im going too.

Cheers Angie

Cool!
I'm going to go and have a play!!!!

thanks gang. go get em!!!!!

Easy to understand info here, Tiff..even for this dumb blonde LOL!

This is just great. I have been playing with my new DSLR Canon D1100, which my sister gave me for my birthday and Christmas.
I was trying just the things you were saying. Needless to say my subjects did not want to play. But here is my first attempt I am pretty happy the way it turned out too. I love how I was lucky to catch the movement in the wings of the birds, one really fast the other not so. Thanks for looking.
By the way 1/80s, F./5.6 and ISO 640

well done Pussycat. you sure are quick off the mark

just to give an idea what can be done with movement of water.

Settings. Tripod. Manual Setting. ISO 50. f22. Shutter 1/4 second. Shot in the light of dawn.

Hey Tiff

Photograph of DH on his moto spining dirt.

Auto Settings: iso: 200, F 4.2, S 1/1000s

Thank you:)

Another great challenge Tiff, thankyou

Took some pictures of our energetic dog, Coco who just loves to jump!!!

How did I go Tiff?

great pics girls i may have to get some pics of missy jumping on her tramp i think

Angie.
what a rippa shot. It looks like you were close enough to get hit with the clods of dirt. fantastic. perfect camera settings.

tiff

DanniT. wow. you have an energetic and athletic dog. love the broken thong.

looking at your speed being around the 1/256 -1/395 gives you some blurring which indicates movement (the thong in the first image, the tail in the second and third images). If you want to crisp up the image further, bump up your ISO to 600 or even 800 so your shutter can work faster (over 1/500) will freeze it nicely..... or if you are able to drop your f5.6 to a smaller number (if your lens allows you to) that will blur your background more and make the shutter work faster. The smaller the f number, the smaller the focus and the faster the shutter

This Aperture tutorial explains it for you.

I do love your willing subjects. Well done.
Tiff

You are such a wealth of information Tiff! Thank you! I will have to have a go at this. Great photos guys!