What is Shutter Speed?

The shutter is the part of your camera that opens up to allow the image sensor to view and record the image you want to capture. Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter remains open to capture that image.

Understanding Shutter Speed

By limiting how much, or how little, light reaches the camera’s sensor a photograph can freeze time in an instant, capturing every last detail. For example, 1/250 would freeze a lighting-fast subject in its tracks.

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Alternatively, it can also blur the lines of reality and fantasy, inducing movement into images as the moment in time captured in the shot is actually much longer than the moment itself. An example is night photography, where you keep the shutter open for long periods of time.

Managing Camera Shutter Speed

It also helps to have a complete understanding of how cameras work, what your specific camera is capable of doing, and what you want an image to look like before you begin to create. It's also a good idea to spend time experimenting with your particular camera to see the different results you will get using different shutter speeds.

Keep in mind, however, that understanding shutter speed alone is not the only determining factor in what your final image will look like. The ISO used, aperture setting used, the amount of light available where you are photographing, the kind of light available (natural, outdoor light or fluorescent lighting, for example), and whether or not the subject is still or moving will all have an impact on the final result. Likewise, whether you use a flash will also be a factor.

When you get more advanced and choose to change the shutter speed for particular reasons, you will learn that you can also adjust these other components to create a specific result. For instance, if you want to freeze motion, using a flash can help do that. If you are shooting in a low light situation, raising the ISO setting can provide better results even with a faster shutter speed. And so on.

Shutter Speed in Practice

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A fast shutter speed will help "freeze" something that is moving to provide you with a sharp, still picture of the subject. A slower shutter speed will show blurring where there is movement. Sometimes this is desirable to achieve a desired effect - such as if you want to show the impression of speed, like the yellow car moving fast in the image above.

Another important thing to consider in a discussion on what is shutter speed, is camera shake. When you use a fast shutter speed, the camera quickly captures the image and movement of the camera is not as noticeable. However, if you want to capture an image with a slow shutter speed, you will want to put the camera on a tripod to stabilize it rather than hand holding it. You may also want to use an image-stabilized lens to help reduce shake. Finally, consider the length of your lens (focal length). The longer the focal length you use, the more camera shake will be emphasized, and the faster the shutter speed you should use.

As a rule, a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second or faster (like 1/125th of a second, 1/250th of a second, and so on) are considered "fast" shutter speeds and are more appropriate for hand holding a camera and capturing sharp images without blur. A shutter speed slower than 1/60th of a second (like 1/30th or 1/15th or 1/8th or one second) are considered "slow" shutter speeds. These shutter speeds require a tripod. They will also give you that interesting blurred effect when capturing movement.

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