The document discusses controlling a camera's shutter speed and its effects on photographs. It explains that a slow shutter speed will result in motion blur while a fast shutter speed can capture motion without blur. Aperture and focal length also impact depth of field and zoom level. Guidelines are provided for shutter speeds needed to freeze motion at different distances. Panning and timing shots at the peak of motion can help minimize required shutter speed. Leaf shutters are in lenses while focal-plane shutters are in cameras.

1. Controlling Your
Camera’s Shutter
Speed
Digital Photography

2. 3 factors control how
your camera takes a
photograph:
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Focal-Length of Lens

3. A slow shutter speed keeps the shutter
open longer and shows motion blur.

4. A fast shutter speed captures the motion
without blurring because the shutter is

5. A large aperture opening produces
photographs with a shallow depth of field.
Less of the photo is in focus.

6. A smaller aperture produces a greater
depth of field making more of the scene in
focus.

7. A short focal length lens captures more of
the scene. It does not allow you to zoom
in on your subject.

8. A long focal length lens allows you to get
in closer to your subject.

9. Your viewfinder or LCD monitor shows
both the shutter speed and the aperture
used.

10. Your viewfinder or LCD monitor shows
both the shutter speed and the aperture
used.

11. Here the viewfinder shows that the
shutter speed is 1/250th of a second and
the aperture is f16.

12. Two controls adjust the amount of
light that reaches the sensor:
1. the shutter

13. Two controls adjust the amount of
light that reaches the sensor:
1. the shutter
2. and the aperture

14. The combination of the
shutter speed and the
aperture is called the
EXPOSURE.

15. Shutter

16. Adjusting the length of
time the shutter remains
open controls the
amount of light that
reaches the light-
sensitive surface.

17. There are two main
types of shutters: Leaf
shutters...

19. Leaf shutters are usually
located within the lens itself.

20. The “leaves” open and close
to let in light.

21. ...and Focal-plane
shutters.

23. Focal-plane shutters are built into
the camera body. The curtains
move across the sensor exposing
it to light in equal amounts.

24. Image in viewfinder

25. Image in viewfinder

26. Image in viewfinder

27. Image in viewfinder

28. Image in viewfinder

29. Image in viewfinder

30. The amount of time the
shutter is open is
measured in stops.

31. Doubling the amount of
time the shutter is open
gives one stop more
exposure or twice the
amount of light.

32. Halving the amount of
time the shutter is open
gives one stop less
exposure or
half the amount of light.

33. Older, analog (non-
digital) cameras usually
can only adjust shutter
speeds in increments of
full stops.

34. This chart shows
actual times the
shutter is open
and the
designations
shown on the
camera.

35. Here you can
see that the
stops are
double or half
the stop
above or
below them.

36. These are the
actual numbers
that the analog
camera displays
for each of these
full stops.

37. With analog
cameras, shutter
speeds are
adjusted manually
with the speed dial
on top of the
camera.

38. Newer analog
cameras and
most digital
cameras can
make many
more shutter
speed
adjustments
than the older
cameras.

39. Don’t
confuse 2
meaning 1/2
second with
-2 meaning
2 seconds!

40. On a digital
camera, you
can see your
shutter
speed in the
viewfinder.

41. On a digital
camera, you
can see your
shutter
speed in the
viewfinder...

42. You can also see
your shutter
speed in the data
panel readout.

43. The faster the shutter speed,
the sharper a moving subject will be.

44. 1/30 second 1/500 second

45. The direction of a moving object affects
the amount of blur.

46. When an object is moving directly toward or away from
the camera, no sideways movement is recorded so a
minimum of blur is produced, even at a relatively slow
shutter speed.

47. 1/30 second

48. Panning keeps a moving subject sharp
while blurring the background

49. During panning, the camera is moved
in the same direction as the subject.

50. The result is a sharp subject
and a blurred background.

51. 1/30 second
camera panned

54. When planning to pan,decide where you want the subject to be at the
moment of exposure, start moving the camera a few moments before
the object reaches that point, and continue that motion after the
exposure (follow through) as you would with a golf or tennis stroke.

55. Generally, the amount of motion blur will double if you increase the
shutter speed by one stop (toward a longer time).
Say change shutter speed from 1/60 to 1/30 of a second.

56. Here are some general shutter speed guidelines for taking photos
with action parallel to the image plane.

57. Notice that the closer you are to the subject, the faster your shutter
speed must be.

58. Motion slows at the peak of an action that
reverses.

59. Here the boy jumps from an overturned garbage can for a slam dunk.
Because the photo was taken at the peak of the action where it slows
down, the shutter speed does not have to be as fast.

60. Clifford Oto, Slam Dunk, 1990

61. Here the camera moves against a
stationary subject.

62. Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Untitled, c. 1941

63. • Camera and subject are both in motion.

64. Simon Bruty,
World Swimming Championships, Spain , 2003

65. Camera is held still while part of the
subject moves.

66. Oliver Follmi, Pilgrimage to Bodghaya, India, 2002