Lesson 1: Shutter Speed

Exposure Basics ISO + Shutter Speed + Aperture

What is Exposure? Exposure describes how light or how dark your photographs are…which is essentially the total amount of light entering your camera used to create the photo.

Over-exposure is when your photos come out too light, washed out or “blown out” Under-exposure is when your photos come out too dark

What is the shutter? When you take a picture and you hear that “click!” that is the sound of your shutter opening and closing

What is shutter speed? Shutter speed is about TIME… the amount of time it takes for light to enter your camera, and how fast your shutter is opening and closing

Fast Shutter Speeds Used to FREEZE MOTION! Generally used in bright daylight

Slow Shutter Speeds Record or show movement! Generally used in shady or low lighting conditions, or to create motion blur Long Shutter Speeds When the shutter is open longer than one second (1”) - generally used in night photography with a tripod

SS is measured in seconds, or fractions of a second… 1/80 means one eightieth of a second. Most cameras will just show the number 80 1/100 means one one-hundredth of a second. Most cameras will just show the number 100 1/400 means one four-hundredth of a second. Most cameras will just show the number 400 1” means one full second. Most cameras will show 1” Tip: The SS is usually the first number in the viewfinder…

Let’s recap… the BIGGER the number, the FASTER the shutter speed, the LESS light enters your camera the SMALLER the number, the SLOWER the shutter speed, the MORE light enters your camera

Fast or Slow? Fast!

Fast or Slow? Slow!

Fast or Slow? Fast!

Fast or Slow? Fast!

Fast or Slow? Slow!

There are Two Main Purposes of Controlling Shutter Speed… The primary reason? To capture motion. Either by freezing motion with a fast shutter speed (bigger number 600, 1000, etc.) or by allowing continued motion with a slow shutter speed (30, 10, 1” etc.). FYI: A faster shutter speed (bigger number) will let in less light, so the image will be darker. A slower shutter speed (smaller number) lets in more light, and the image will be brighter.

Challenge #1 Find the Shutter Priority Mode on your camera (some point & shoots may not have this option) In Shutter Priority, you will be telling the camera what shutter speed you want to shoot at (the camera will adjust the rest to get what it thinks is the correct exposure) Shoot photographs that illustrate both freezing motion and capturing motion Post your images on Flickr or Facebook!

Potential Problems (FYI) Beware: slower shutter speeds will also pick up small movements of the camera (the dreaded Camera Shake). The slower the shutter speed is, the more you have to focus on being steady. Eventually it slows to the point where you’ll need a tri-pod or something to rest the camera on to get a clear picture. TIP: Take a deep breath and hold it while shooting!

Now go shoot something moving! Water flowing… kids running… dogs chasing butterflies… whatever. Change the shutter speeds and see how it changes the image! Good Luck… PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!