Master Your Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is the length of time the film or digital sensor inside a camera is exposed to light when taking a photograph.

The amount of light reaching the film or image sensor is proportional to the exposure time.

Multiple combinations of shutter speed and f-number can give the same exposure value (E.V.).

The shutter speed changes the way movement appears in photographs. Short exposure times are sometimes called "fast", and long exposure times "slow".

Adjustments to the aperture need to be compensated by changes of the shutter speed to keep the same (right) exposure.

The agreed standards for shutter speeds are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000, and 1/8000.

The ability of the photographer to take images without noticeable blurring by camera movement is an important parameter in the choice of the slowest possible shutter speed for a handheld camera.

Shutter priority refers to a shooting mode used in cameras. It allows the photographer to choose a shutter speed setting and allow the camera to decide the correct aperture.

Slower shutter speeds are often selected to suggest the movement of an object in a still photograph.

Excessively fast shutter speeds can cause a moving subject to appear unnaturally frozen.

When a slower shutter speed is selected, a longer time passes from the moment the shutter opens till the moment it closes.

Zoom burst is a technique that entails the variation of the focal length of a zoom lens during a longer exposure.