Finding the Right Time: the Shutter Speed

Last time, we brushed on our knowledge regarding aperture. We talked about the importance of knowing how to make aperture adjustments and how do we exactly perform the said tweaks. We also discussed briefly about the math behind aperture and all in all we made a reviewer for learning aperture.

The topic of aperture is discussed thoroughly in this section since our main topic is on exposure. In relation to that, apart from controlling the aperture size, another element that greatly affects the exposure or amount of light you let in your camera is the shutter speed.

The shutter speed is another topic that we’ve dwelled on already in the past lessons from the last section. As I’ve said before, we will be treating the concept of shutter speed the same way we treated aperture during the past two lessons which means that today, we will be learning all that we can about it.

The Value of Speed

The analogy of the camera as an eye is something that we will be going back to from time to time as mentioned during our discussion on aperture. In line with this, if our aperture acts as our camera’s iris the shutter is our eyelid.

The eyelid and the shutter are very similar in many ways. First and foremost, the eyelid serves as a barrier that protects our eyes from external factors the same way the shutter prevents too much light to damage the camera sensor.

Another, and a more appropriate, similarity between the shutter and the eyelid is their ability to let in light. Whenever we want to take a quick glance at something we open our eyes momentarily the same way the shutter controls the amount of light coming in through the shutter speed.

The shutter speed, together with aperture and your ISO, forms the photography trinity that you will use to work your way around situations. Each of these three elements are irreplaceable since they directly affect the amount of light.

Shutter Speed

The shutter is the one responsible for allowing light to hit your sensor. The shutter speed, on the other hand, is the one regulating the amount of light by varying the exposure time. As far as basics can go, the longer your shutter is open, the more light you are allowing to enter.

The key concept to remember here is that darkness is not the absence of light but simply the lack of it. By remembering this, you will learn that no matter how dark it is, you can get light if you expose your sensor long enough.

A slower shutter speed means that your sensor is opened for a longer period of time while fast shutter speeds are the opposite.

How Fast Can it Go?

Shutter speed is measured by means of split seconds and you will see your shutter speed settings showing numbers like 1/ 8, 1/100, 1/250, and more.

You may think that ⅛ of a second is fast but that is actually relatively slow as compared to your camera’s capability. A typical camera can actually go as fast as 1/4000 of a second which is actually a pretty normal speed for outdoor sports photography.

Again, if a slow shutter speed like 0”3, 0”5, or 2 seconds, allows your sensor to be exposed to the light more, then something like 1/400 or 1/1000 of a second does the opposite.

Implications of Shutter Speed

In relationship to the amount of light you are allowing to enter, a slower shutter speed also means that you are capturing a longer time frame in your pictures.

What does this mean?

If you are shooting at 1/400 of a second, you shutter just opens and closes at a shorter time which means you can capture 1/400 of a moment. On the other hand, if you shoot at 0.5 of a second, your shutter is relatively opened for a longer period of time allowing you to catch a longer period.

For example, if you are shooting a fast moment like a jumpshot, a longer shooting period means that your subject has gone up and down already resulting to a blurry image. If you are shooting at around 1/1000, you are more likely to catch that 1/1000 of a second where the subject is at the peak of their jumpt.

To test this concept yourself, open your electric fan and start shooting with increasing shutter speed. You will notice that as you are increasing your speed, you are getting the fan’s blades more.

Applications of Shutter Speed

Now that you know what the shutter speed does and how can it affect your photos, it’s time to find out how you can use it to your advantage.

For low-light settings, it would be better to decrease your shutter speed until you achieve the right amount of light that you want. However, remember that as you go slower, you are increasing the time frame per shot and you are risking blurry photos.

This is where you previous knowledge on aperture comes in. If you find the perfect balance of a shutter speed that offers a little bit of stability while opening your aperture wider, you can let in more light and shoot in darker settings without blur.

For brighter scenarios, you can safely shoot at 1/100 and above without worrying about an underexposed photo.

When it comes to sports photography, a fast shutter speed is highly recommended to catch athletes mid-action. However, if you are shooting in a relatively dark venue, you may need to apply your aperture knowledge again.

For creative purposes, a slower shutter speed can result to what we call long-exposure photography. If you have ever seen a picture with streak lights, those were achieved by exposing the sensor for a longer period of time.

Long-exposure photography is an advanced technique that you can learn as you explore shutter speed.

Conclusion

Today we dwelled on the topic of  shutter speed. We mentioned that the shutter speed is one of the most crucial elements in photography together with aperture and ISO.

We discussed that as you slow down the shutter speed, you are allowing more light to enter your camera while the opposite happens as you speed up the shutter. Slow shutters are better for low-light settings while bright scenarios and sports photography may need faster speeds for a sharper image.

As you go along the way, you will learn advanced techniques in relation to shutter speed such as long-exposures. In relation to that, we will explore more on slow shutter speeds to help you visualize the concept more.

We hope you learned a lot today and be sure to share this lesson with your peers to help them as well!