Monthly Archives: February 2012

What effects does changing the shutter speed have?

• Shutter speed controls the appearance of movement in the image.
• It is chosen primarily when you want to depict motion, when you are taking photographs of moving things.
• When the shutter is fired, whatever happens in the shot in the time the shutter is open is recorded on to the sensor or film.
• If you have chosen a very fast shutter speed, only a split second of the movement will be captured, resulting is a crisp, sharp, frozen shot of the movement at that precise moment.
• If you have chosen a very slow shutter speed a lot of movement will be recorded. Whatever was moving in the image will be a blur – the more time the shutter was open for the more blurry the movement will appear.
• Using slow shutter speeds does come with its problems. As stated above, a slow shutter speed captures all the movement in the image; well likewise if your camera is moving, it also captures this.
• This is called camera shake. Your hands are not steady enough to hold the camera still when taking the photo.
• As a general rule anything over 1/60s (a sixtieth of a second) – you can hand hold your camera without having to use a tripod.
• With anything between 1/30s (a thirtieth of a second) and 1/60s, you will experience some camera shake.
• Anything lower than 1/30s you will have to use a tripod if you want your images to be sharp.

• Shutter speed is the length of time the shutter is open
• The shorter the shutter is open the less light gets in.
• The longer the shutter is open the more light gets in
• This is referred to as fast and slow shutter speeds.
• Shutter speed can vary from a fast shutter speed of 1/4000s (four-thousandths of a second) down to a slow shutter speed of 30 seconds (shows as 30” on your camera)
• Some cameras also have a ‘bulb’ setting, which allows the shutter to be open for as long as your finger is held on the button taking the picture. This can be up to hours and hours if you wish.