What is shutter speed in photography? This is a great question because understanding what shutter speed is in photography is fundamental.
Shutter speed is the amount of time the shutter is open when you take a photograph. The shutter speed is basically the timer for light coming into the camera. The shutter speed is one part of the exposure triangle. These are the three controls on a camera that affect how light or how dark a photograph is.
Shutter speed in photography is also the setting you want to change when you want to show movement in your picture. The most basic definition of shutter speed is how long the shutter takes to open and close. A slow shutter speed means more light enters the camera than when you use a fast shutter speed. The fastest shutter speed on your camera will let in much less light than the slowest shutter speed on your camera does.
There are three main controls on your camera that affect the exposure value of each photo you take. These are the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings. Shutter speed and aperture in photography together are what determine exposure. This is because they both affect how much light is taken in while the picture is being taken.
In addition to controlling light for proper exposure, shutter speed is also used artistically. You can use a very fast shutter speed to freeze the action of a hockey game or use a slower speed to create motion blur caused by flowing water. Slower shutter speeds can also result in an unwanted blur from camera movement.
How is Shutter Speed Measured?
Shutter speed is measured in time increments. These range from full seconds to a fraction of a second (sometimes up to 1/8000). The larger the shutter speed denominator, the faster the shutter opens and closes. It exposes less light to the camera sensor.
When you use a slower shutter speed, the shutter is open longer. Then the image sensor is exposed to more light than when you use a faster shutter speed. How long the shutter speed helps determine the exposure time. The longer your shutter speed is, the brighter your photo will be. You can compensate for using a slow shutter speed by using a narrower aperture or a lower ISO setting.
Typically, you won’t be using a shutter speed slower than 1/60. This is because any slower and you would include motion from camera movement in your picture, making it blurry. It is challenging for most people to hold a camera steady when using slow shutter speeds of less than 1/60th of a second. Slow shutter speed photography is great fun to experiment with, but you need to use a tripod to avoid camera blur from slow shutter speed settings.
Sometimes in shutter priority mode, your camera will choose the shutter speed, which is too slow. Be in control of your shutter speed, so the camera does not pick a slow shutter speed that is too slow.
As you start exploring the different shutter speeds, you can keep in mind that if you use a shutter speed slower than 1/60, you will need something to stabilize your camera, such as a tripod.
