The camera’s shutter speed determines how long the sensor will be exposed to incoming light from the lens.

Faster speed = shorter time/”exposure”.
Slower speed = longer exposure.

You’d want to use the slow exposure to give that silky smooth effect to photos (think waterfalls).
The faster speed should be used when trying to stop motion.

So for my next few tricks, I’m going to attempt Light Painting. It’s something that’s always fascinated me and perhaps now, my photography will get even more creative than before! And once I get a good one going, I’ll then try speeding things up to capture the other side, the fast side, such as rain drops hitting the water. I think it would make for a striking effect and with winter being upon Melbourne, this might be the most opportune time!

So in review…

When to use it:

Shutter speed

• Anything over 30 seconds – low light and tripod’s a must
• 1/2 a second – getting some blur to images, but make sure you have light. Could work in low light. I need to test this one out and come back with my findings. This is what I used to get a couple standing still in a nightclub and have everyone around them being blurred. (Now, only if I could find that damn image)
• 1/2 – 1/30 a second – blurs motion to a moving image.
• 1/50 – 1/100 a second – This is where I’ve noticed my camera automatically default to (thanks to the “P” setting aka Manual mode) when taking out photos without massive zoom.
• Anything above that setting… I’m assuming it’s for sports mode. Once more, I’ll need to figure this out and report back.

Here is a link back to the original post in this series.

As always, happy snapping! And I hope to see you around.