Shutter speed - controlling motion

Shutter speed

The shutter speed setting is used to control the amount of time for which the shutter is opened when taking pictures. Reduce the shutter speed will cause the camera gets more light and image will be brighter. However, if the subject or the camera is in motion, it may also cause blurred pictures. Increasing the shutter speed will darken pictures. However, this will also help prevent blur images, if the subject or the camera are in motion.

There are two main ideas for taking long exposed photos. One is to keep blurred subjects with background in focus (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulaloe/127479512/) and the other one is opposite, keeping subject in focus and blurring background (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmueller/2109197876/).

shutter speed: 0,5 sec,  f4, moving snow flakes are blurred

shutter speed: 1/4 sec, f4,  snow flakes are less blurred

shutter speed: 1/8 sec, f4, slow moving snow flakes are sharp

shutter speed 1/15, f4, snow flakes are quite sharp

I kept aperture open @f4 to show how light is decreasing when we open shutter for shorter amount of time.

There are multiple techniques connected with shutter speed, naming just few:

• Panning - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panning_(camera)

by Krzysztof Jeleń - 1/50 shutter speed

• Light painting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_painting

by Ryan Notch and Edward Ayala, otherwise known as the photography team "The Areographers"

Now we know how to control shutter speed and aperture - so we have all available means to control amount of light that comes to image sensor - next step will be to understand what is ISO sensitivity all about...

Cheers!