The number one priority for a photographer is telling a story. To tell a story in an exciting way, you need many techniques at your fingertips. Knowing how to control the shutter opens up a world of creative possibilities for you to communicate with your audience.
The shutter is a mechanism that opens and closes to admit light into a camera for a measured length of time. It can be fast (a fraction of a second) or long (whole seconds, minutes or hours). The shutter speed you choose will affect your exposure, and have a direct effect on stopping (freezing) or blurring motion.
Setting your camera to the Shutter Priority Mode allows you to select the shutter speed, and the camera will set the aperture and ISO to produce the correct exposure. Review the photos taken with various shutter speed effects.
Slow Shutter Speed Effect:
- Adds blur to a moving object
- Emphasizes movement
Slow Shutter Speed with Panning Technique Effect:
- Blurred background
- Sharply focused subject
- Note: Photographer tracks movement of the subject while making the exposure.
Slow Shutter Speed with Tripod or Monopod Effect:
- Capture more light in dark conditions
- Prevents camera shake
Fast Shutter Speed Effect:
- Stops the action of a fast moving object
- Sharply focused object
- Note: The faster the object is moving the faster the shutter speed required to stop the motion.