Photography Shutter Speed
Are you a beginner photographer who is trying to make sense of photography shutter speed? Then this post is for you! One of the first big steps in learning how to take better photos is mastering the skill of using the exposure triangle. The exposure triangle is comprised of three elements: aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. Choosing the correct shutter speed has a huge impact on whether your photograph is in focus or blurry. Let’s take a close look!
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What are Photography Shutter Speeds?
Within the body of your camera, behind the lens, sits the shutter. It’s basically a little window or door that opens and closes when you fire your camera. You know that clicking sound you hear when you take a photo? That’s the shutter opening and closing! When the shutter opens, it allows the light that is passing through your lens’ aperture to hit the film (of an analog camera) or sensor (of a digital camera) within the camera body.
In photography, Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter will remain open. Minimum and maximum shutter speeds vary per make and model of camera. On my Sony a7iv, the longest shutter speed is 30 seconds. In this setting, the shutter would remain open for an entire 30 seconds before closing. The quickest shutter speed is 1/8000. In this setting, the shutter would only stay open for 1/8000 of a second! So fast!
Shutter Speeds and Exposure
So how do shutter speeds affect your image? As a member of the exposure triangle, shutter speed interacts with aperture and ISO to control the exposure of an image (i.e. whether it is light or dark.) When the camera’s shutter stays open for a longer period of time, it allows the camera’s film or sensor to be exposed to light for a longer period of time. This results in a brighter exposure. Conversely, when the camera’s shutter stays open for a shorter period of time, there is less time for the camera’s film or sensor to be exposed to light. This results in a darker exposure.
Some Examples:
Sometimes, I think find it helpful to think in extremes when first trying to master an idea. Let’s do so with photography shutter speeds. Let’s imagine you are trying to photograph the northern lights. Obviously it will be practically pitch black outside. Even when the northern lights do appear, they aren’t always extremely bright. Therefore you would want to let as much light hit your film or sensor as possible. In that case you may wan to try shutter speeds anywhere for 4 to 30 seconds.
Now let’s imagine you are taking photos of your family during a summer trip to the beach. It’s early afternoon, there’s no shade, and the bright sunshine is strongly reflecting off the sand of the beach. In this situation, you could easily expose your sensor or film to too much light, resulting in an overexposed, washed out image. In this situation, you would likely want to opt for shutter speeds of 1/1000 or higher.
Photography Shutter Speed and Movement
Simple enough, right? However, don’t forget: while each component of the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) impact the exposure of your image, they each also have a second function. Shutter speed also controls your camera’s ability to capture movement. Faster shutter speeds freeze movement. Using a slower shutter speed may result in blur or loss of focus, either from the movement of your subject or camera shake (i.e. your inability as a human to hold the camera perfectly still.)
Most modern cameras are engineered with in camera stabilization features to help neutralize camera shake. Even professional lenses feature optical image stabilization as an additional aid. However, when professional photographers use slow shutter speeds for a long exposure, they put the camera on a tripod and a use a trigger. Even the smallest nudge can result in a blurry image when using the slowest shutter speeds.
Interesting, using flash is another way to freeze movement. To learn more about flash photography and shutter speed, check out this post.
Photography Shutter Speed Settings
Obviously most of the time you want your image to be correctly exposed (not too dark, not too bright) and focused. So how should you go about choosing your shutter speed settings? As I mentioned in this post, as a portrait photographer, I generally choose my aperture first. After I have chosen my aperture, I next adjust my shutter speed.
There are two rules of thumb I use to guide my choice:
- A shutter speed of 1/500 is generally fast enough to freeze human movement. (You’ll likely need faster shutter speeds if you’re trying to capture race cars or jets, but for my everyday purposes, 1/500 is fast enough.) If I’m capturing candid shots of children outside who are running, jumping, or being tossed in the air, I will set my shutter speed to at least 1/500. When photographing children indoors, I typically use flash. As I mentioned in the last section, flash helps freeze movement. Therefore I am less likely to use fast shutter speeds in that scenario.
- Take your lens’ focus length, double that number and don’t use shutter speeds slower than the inverse of that number when shooting by hand. Clear as mud? Let’s break it down! Let’s I’m using a 50mm lens. 2 x 50= 100. The inverse of 100 is 1/100. Therefore, with that lens, I would avoid using a shutter speed slower than 1/100 if I’m planning to hold the camera. If I want or need to use a shutter speed slower than than, it’s best to put the camera on a tripod. This isn’t a concrete guideline. If you have a professional camera and professional lens that both have image stabilization, you may be able to get away with slower shutter speeds if you are very careful about holding the camera steady. Just use this metric as a jumping off point!
When capturing my children or clients, I usually dial in a shutter speed of around 1/200 or 1/250 for posed images or 1/500 for images with more movement. Granted, I also generally photograph clients in the shade or during golden hour when the light is lower and softer. If I were photographing my family on the beach in the middle of the day, my shutter speed would be much faster.
How to Change Your Shutter Speed
On most modern cameras, the shutter speed is adjusted by turning a dial or wheel. On my Sony a7IV, my front dial controls my aperture while the dial on the back of the camera body controls my shutter speed. As I turn the dial, I can see the value of my shutter speed turn orange and change on the bottom left of my screen. For cameras that only have one dial, that dial is generally set to control shutter speed when turned. On my older Pentax film camera, instead of using a wheel, a knob on the top of the camera body is turned to change the shutter speed setting. Each make and model of camera is different! Reference your specific manual if you aren’t sure how to change your shutter speeds!
How to Know What Shutter Speed You Used To Take an Image
Have you ever taken a photo and then weeks later thought, what settings did I use? With digital cameras, there are several simple ways to find that info! If the image still exists on an SD card, put it in your camera. Click the “view” button and then push the “display” button until that information appears on the screen! Once again, these steps/settings vary depending on your camera made and model. However, most digital cameras make this information easily accessible.
If the image lives on your hard drive or computer as a jpeg file, you can still find this info! On a mac, right click the image file. Then select “get info”. Under the “more info” tab you can view several of the setting used.
What Questions Do You Have About Photography Shutter Speeds?
I hope you have found this intro to photography shutter speeds helpful in journey towards mastering photography. Mastering shutter speeds has the potential to take your photography to the next level, helping you produce clear, focused images. What questions spring to mind as you learn about shutter speeds? Feel free to contact me via email or sign up for my email list below!