So What is Shutter Speed?

Find yourself thinking you understand Shutter Speed but then you try to explain it and don't really understand?

Hopefully this post shines some light on what shutter speed is and actually does.  Unless your shutter speed is too high then no light will be shining on it. Sorry shutter speed joke so lets begin. 

Shutter Speed is a type of shade/curtain that is on the inside of you camera. Your camera tells it when to open and close with the shutter release button (the button you click to take pictures). So what is the shutter speed then? The shutter speed is the chunk of time your shutter stays open and takes in the light through the lens. For example 1/1000 of a second is a fast shutter speed. This higher shutter speed is used to capture and stop motion dead in its tracks. Turning up the shutter speed also shortens the time the shutter is open which allows less light to get in, darkening your image. You will have to compensate for this by adjusting ISO and Aperture. 1/30 or 1/8 and so on, are slower shutter speeds. This means the shutter stays open for a longer amount of time letting more light in through the lens to the cameras sensor. With more light coming in, its obvious that your image will be much brighter. This you will have to also compensate for with other settings on the camera. With very slow shutter speeds, like keeping your shutter open for seconds at a time, you will need to invent in a natural density (ND) filter for your lens. These filters are basically tinted glass that reduce the amount of light getting in through your lens by anywhere from 2-8 stops (Or even more!). 

Since you are controlling the amount your lens is taking in with the shutter speed you will need to find a balance between your cameras Aperture and ISO. With a slow shutter speed means you should put you ISO a lower number to compensate. This is also nice becomes with a lower shutter speed comes less noise in your image. Noise is the graininess of your picture. Also with longer shutter speed you can set your aperture higher to reduce the amount of light but this will increase your depth of field putting more things farther in distance in focus. 

Other things shutter speed does is effect the quality of your image. Since lower shutter speed leaves the shutter open for longer periods of time, this can blur your image with motion. An object moving with longer shutter speeds will appear blurred. This can also be a problem if your shutter is low because your hand can move when taking the picture or even pressing the shutter release. A simple fix to this would be to use a tripod or some kind of mounting system when using longer/slower shutter speeds. Even a remote control or a 2 second timer so there is no chance of the camera moving when the camera activates the shutter for your image. The chance of your hand clicking motion effecting the image is using around 1/30 second or slower. 

Once you really understand your shutter speed, you will be able to start doing some really cool effects with motion. For example, a long exposure picture with water, you can set a low shutter speed and make water having a misty/ghost effect while the other scenery not moving will be clear and nice. With faster shutter speeds you'll be able to make motion freeze in ways the human eye cannot. Most DSLR's shutter speed goes up to 1/8000 of a second. With the proper lighting you'll be able to stop water droplets in mid air or splashing. Even as simple as stopping the motion of a football player while he's being tackled and a snowboarder flying through the air. Examples of shutter speed are shown in the pictures below. The captions have the shutter speed the image was taken at with additional settings.

If your looking for a great entry level DSLR check out the Canon EOS Rebel T3i. 

Shutter Speed of 1/2000 second. ISO 1600 and f/3.5

Shutter Speed of 1/4 second. ISO 100 and f/5.6 Flash was used. 

Shutter Speed of 1/1250 second. ISO 800 and f/3.2