Shutter speed controls the amount of time that light is allowed to hit the camera's film or sensor. Faster shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or higher will freeze motion, while slower speeds of 1/30th of a second or lower will blur motion. Special techniques like panning, spinning the camera, or using light trails can be used with slow shutter speeds. Night photography requires slow shutter speeds, so a tripod is recommended to avoid camera shake. Flash can also be used with slow shutter speeds to capture both stopped and blurred motion.

1. Shutter Speed and Motion

2. Shutter Speed Shutter Speed controls how long light is allowed to hit the film Full stops 1” 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125… Your camera may show just the second half of the number 2, 4, 8, 15 A quotation mark after the number denotes seconds A number with no quotation marks is a fraction of a second When motion is the important aspect of the shot choose your shutter speed first and then meter to get the correct aperture

3. Shutter Speed Shutter speed controls whether a moving object will be in focus or blurred To get fast shutter speeds, you may have to choose a high ISO film To get slower shutter speeds you may have to choose a low ISO film You will get more motion blur from something crossing in front of you than from an object coming toward you

4. Long shutter speed Short Shutter Speed

5. Fast Shutter Speed 1/60 and up

6. Fast Shutter Speed

7. Fast Shutter Speed

8. Slow Shutter Speed 1/30 and lower

9. Slow Shutter Speed

10. Slow Shutter Speed

11. Slow Shutter Speed

12. Slow Shutter Speed

13. Special Tricks with Slow Shutter Speed Panning-with a slow shutter speed, you follow the motion of your object while your camera is exposing

14. Panning

15. Panning

16. Panning

17. Special Tricks with Slow Shutter Speed You can move the camera while the shutter is open You can move you zoom while the shutter is open

18. Spinning the Camera

19. Spinning the Camera

20. Zooming

21. Zooming

22. Special Tricks with Slow Shutter Speed Light writing-while the shutter is open you can use a light source, like a flashlight, to write or draw

23. Light Writing

24. Light Writing

25. Night Photography You will need to be prepared to deal with slow shutter speeds. Either bring a tripod or find a place to set your camera In order to keep from shaking the camera with your hands, set your self timer Meter for visible light-your meter reading is a starting point You may have to fiddle with your exposure settings Beware of setting your ISO too high and getting excessive noise

26. Night Photography

27. Night Photography

28. Night Photography

29. Night Photography

30. Slow Shutter Speed and Flash Normally your flash is synced with your shutter speed at higher speeds (around 1/60) You can force your flash to fire along with slower shutter speeds for different effects Whenever the flash fires, there will be stopped motion and then during the rest of the exposure the camera will record the motion blurFront Curtain (regular) Flash

31. Slow Shutter Speed and Flash

32. Slow Shutter and Rear Curtain Flash