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A camera shutter is like a curtain in front of the camera sensor.
When your camera fires, the shutter opens so that light can get to the sensor.
The amount of time that the shutter remains open before closing again is the shutter speed.
If the shutter opens and closes slowly, it lets lots of light into the camera.
If the shutter opens and closes again very fast, less light is able to get in.
Shutter speed also controls how motion is captured, in other words, whether we show the motion through blurring, or freeze the motion.
SHUTTER SPEED with Star Wars LEGO.mp4Shutter speed is a measurement of the time the shutter is open.
Measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds.
The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30).
Speeds faster than one second are shown as fractions (e.g.: …1/125, 1/160, 1/200, 1/250…)
Speeds slower than one second are shown by a quotation mark following the value (e.g.: 1", 2")
CONTROLLING SHUTTER SPEED
CONTROLLING SHUTTER SPEED
MOTION BLUR - A side effect of Shutter Speed
MOTION BLUR - A side effect of Shutter Speed
Fast shutter speeds will “freeze” motion.
Using a fast shutter speed, the matches appear “frozen”. This is due to the fact that only a brief instant of the motion was recorded because the shutter was only open for a very short time.
Slow shutter speeds will introduce blur.
Using a slow shutter speed, the motion is blurred. This is due to the fact that the children on the swings moved while the shutter was open.
In most cases you’ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to use without getting camera shake.
Camera shake is when your camera is moving while the shutter is open and results in blurry photos
If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60 - 1/30) you will need to use a tripod.
TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHS CONTROLLED BY SHUTTER SPEED
TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHS CONTROLLED BY SHUTTER SPEED
1. STOP MOTION
To get a Stop Motion shot, choose a faster shutter speed (1/250 or faster). The speed will vary depending upon the speed of the subject in your shot.
2. MOTION BLUR
The goal of this shot is to keep the shutter open long enough to blur the movement of the subject, but to keep the rest of the photo in focus.
Use a tripod and keep your shutter speed slow (1/30 sec or slower).
3. PANNING
The goal of this shot is to follow the movement of the object with your camera, while keeping the shutter speed slow.
This is a trickier technique, but the results can be amazing!
The goal is to have the moving subject in focus and the background streaking in behind.
Start with a shutter speed around 1/30 and adjust from there.
Focus on your subject, and attempt to follow the motion with your camera as it occurs.
Brace your elbows in by your sides and try to match the speed of your movement with that of the moving subject.
Follow through (like a golf swing) and don’t stop moving as you press down the shutter to take the shot.
WHEN TO MANIPULATE SHUTTER SPEED
WHEN TO MANIPULATE SHUTTER SPEED
When considering what shutter speed to use in an image you should always ask yourself whether anything in your scene is moving and how you’d like to capture that movement.
If there is movement in your scene you can either freeze the movement (so it looks still) or let the moving object intentionally blur (giving it a sense of movement).
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