Photography Photo Tips Shutter Speed | Digital Photo Tips - Shutter Speed |
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Shutter Speed What is a shutter? In the olden days, cameras had mechanical shutters that would very quickly open and close to expose the negative to light. Your digital camera most likely has an electronic shutter, which turns photo sensors on and off and collects light for your images. Some digital cameras have both manual and electronic shutters, but the concept is the same - you push a button, and the camera allows light to enter for a pre-determined amount of time.
Shutter Speed The amount of time the shutter stays open (or the photodiodes stay on) is called shutter speed. Shutter speed is expressed in seconds (1s, 2s, etc.) and fractions of a second (1/2s, 1/4s, etc.). Shutterspeeds of longer than 1 second are considered long exposures, as most pictures are taken in a split second. Most cameras will have shutter speeds that approximately double in length with each step: 1/250s, 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s, etc.
What is the Right Shutter Speed? That depends on what?s in front of your camera. Of course, with your camera set to Auto, the shutter speed is chosen for you. Sometimes you might think you are smarter than your camera though, and you?re right.
If you are shooting a dark subject or creating a feeling of motion, then a slow shutter speed is required. Some cameras have a "motion", or "slow shutter" setting that will achieve the effect of movement.
If your camera has a mode dial, it may have a setting called "tV" or "S" that stands for "time value" or "shutter priority". This is a great "semi-manual" feature that allows you to select the shutter speed you want, while leaving the camera to adjust for the correct aperture. To review, Auto mode might leave little Johnny partially blurred as he slides into second base. "Fast shutter" mode will freeze the action, and "slow shutter" mode will create a pronounced blurring effect. "Slow flash" will illuminate both the subjects and background of a night scene.
Shutter speed settings will have different names on different makes of cameras. The names in the captions above are for a Canon camera (thanks to Canon Canada for the row of images above). To find out more, check your manual, come into Photo Express. This article is © Copyright Photo Express foto source 2006 |
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