For beginners who are refining their skills as photographers, the phrase ‘shutter speed’ must be used everywhere in guides. It is a feature in cameras that determines the final product. In this article, we will cover the basics of shutter speed and how you can best utilize it to improve the quality of your photographs.
What is Shutter Speed?
It will be how long your shutter stays open to allow for light impact on the camera sensor or the film. It determines how many seconds of time your camera spends photographing a certain shot; it is arguably one of the most integral settings involved in photography. The larger the shutter, the more light this allows entry into the viewfinder while a smaller one limits its entry.
How does it work?
It is the opening and closing of a shutter curtain in front of the camera sensor. So, when you click on the shutter button, it opens the curtain for the given period and allows the light to hit the sensor and then closes again.
Detailed Explanation
In most modern cameras, a shutter is always one of the two mechanical, where light passes via some curtain, and one purely electronic, where an actual shutter isn’t physically set between the lens and image sensor, but still used. Whether mechanical or pure electronic, the general principal for both is such; there’s a period specifically designed that allows the photons to reach the sensor from the lens.
Measuring Shutter Speed
It is usually expressed in fractions of a second. The shutter can vary from a very fast shutter, such as 1/8000th of a second, to a few seconds or more for long exposure. On most cameras, a shutter of 1/250th of a second may just show as “250,” but quotation marks often surround exposures longer than one second, and greater than five seconds will often be represented as “5”.
The Range – Shutter Speed
Most cameras available today handle shutter that range between 1/8000th of a second and 30 seconds, catering to the whole range of photographic requirements from freezing movements to exposing very bright nights.
Shutter Speed and Exposure
It plays a very significant role in controlling the brightness of your image. The more light a shutter captures, the brighter the photograph will be. If the shutter is very short, it captures much less and results in a darker image. Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are three critical settings that determine the final exposure of a photograph.
Brightness Impacts Image
In bright situations, quicker ones prevent the image from being over-exposed and in low-light situations slower shutter will allow the right amount of light in for an adequately exposed photo. You’ll probably be needing a tripod in very low-light settings to minimize camera shake created by blur due to exposure time.
Very Fast Shutter Speed Results
A fast shutter is one that can freeze motion, such as 1/1000th of a second or faster. This can be useful for photographing sports, birds in flight, or water droplets in mid-air. For general photography, 1/200th to 1/1000th of a second is sufficient for many scenarios, but faster speeds may be needed for particularly fast-moving subjects.
Slow Shutter Speeds
A slow or long shutter is 1 second or longer. These are mostly used in low-light photography, such as nighttime or astrophotography, where light needs to be captured over a long time. However, these speeds tend to blur motion, and for artistic purposes, you’ll usually need a tripod to avoid camera shake.
How to Set
Most cameras feature automatic modes where it is automatically selected for you. However, when you do want to control it yourself, there are two main modes:
1. Shutter Priority Mode
This mode enables you to select it while the camera sets the aperture automatically. The ISO can be set manually.
2. Manual Mode
This mode gives complete control and allows you to set both the shutter and the aperture manually.
Results You Can Expect
While this automatically adjusts, you’re likely going to want to preview the setting it’s chosen to make sure it actually works for your needs. Perhaps the camera has come up with some long shutter, at which point you’re just going to have to lug a tripod so you can avoid blurry pictures from handheld cameras.
How do I Find the Shutter Speed on My Camera?
It normally appears either on the camera’s LCD or inside its viewfinder. On a camera whose top LCD includes a shutter, this normally appears along the left upper corner in a single numeral reading, say “250”, meaning that it is 1/250th of a second. When exposures reach more than one second, the numeral might be within quotation marks-for example, “5” for 5 seconds.
Finding Shutter Speed
If you can’t see it yet, switch to “Aperture Priority” mode and turn off “AUTO ISO.” Point your camera at various spots and find the number that is changing; that’s your shutter.
Recommended Shutter Speed Values
Choose an appropriate speed depending on what you’re photographing. Here is a chart to get you familiar with the terminologies:
| Situation | Recommended Shutter Speed |
| Posed people | 1/125 |
| Relocating individuals | 1/200 – 1/800 |
| Water environment landscape | 1-10 seconds (tripod needed) |
| Handheld stationary landscape | 1/60 or faster |
| Birds on perches | 1/320 |
| Birds in flight | 1/2000 |
| Macro photography | 1/320 |
| Flash photography | 1/200 |
| Astrophotography | 10-25 seconds |
These settings serve as a basic guideline but feel free to experiment with them to achieve your desired effect. Photography is all about experimenting and finding what strikes your fancy.
Related Queries
Now that you know the basics, here are some common doubts that you may have, along with the respective solutions:
1. What is a Slow Shutter Speed?
A slow shutter speed is generally 1 second or longer. Slow speeds are also often described in terms of long fractions of a second, like 1/2 or 1/4 second. These provide a unique sort of results in terms of picture.
2. What Is a Fast Shutter Speed?
In most cases, the shutter speeds around 1/250th of a second and faster are referred to as fast, allowing action to be frozen in most situations.
3. Where Is My Shutter Speed?
In cameras, shutter speed is available from the LCD or from the viewfinder. They usually are marked as just a number, like 500 for 1/500th of a second.
4. What is the Slowest Shutter Speed?
The slowest shutter speeds available are typically 30 seconds on most cameras without having an external trigger to press. A good shutter speed camera can easily manage this function.
5. What is the Fastest Shutter Speed?
Depending on the camera, you can get shutter speeds as high as 1/8000th or even 1/32,000th of a second. These ultra-fast speeds are usually only required for very specific applications.
6. How is Shutter Speed Written?
Shutter speeds are written in seconds or fractions, like 1″ for one-second exposure or 1/250 for one-two-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second.
7. What is the Best Shutter Speed?
The best shutter will depend on your subject and the lighting. Fast speeds are great for freezing in action, and slow speeds are really good for low light or to create artistic blur. Remember, it all depends on you! Make sure to tinker around with shutter speeds and get the hang of it.
8. How do I change the shutter speed on my phone?
Most smartphones require third-party camera apps to make manual changes. Some built-in apps may offer a limited allowance. This type of photography may require a bit more investment, ideally a good camera.
Conclusion
As you can probably infer by now, a shutter speed dictates how your final product may end up looking. It helps in understanding and balancing brightness, motion blur, and artistic effects as important factors in getting breathtaking photographs. From dramatic night skies to swift moments of action, selecting the right shutter speed in every situation gives you full control over how a particular instant is captured.
FAQs
1. What is Shutter Speed?
Answer: The time the camera’s shutter stays open to let light in.
2. How Does Shutter Speed Affect Photos?
Answer: It, along with the camera shutter, controls brightness and motion blur or freeze.
3. Best Shutter Speed for Everyday Photos?
Answer: 1/125 or faster to avoid blur; faster for moving subjects.
4. Can I Adjust the Shutter Speed on My Phone?
Answer: Yes, in “Pro” mode on some phones; others need a third-party app.
5. How do you change the shutter speed on Canon?
Answer: Camera Setup > Shutter > Mode. Select your desired SET.
