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How to Use Shutter Speed for the Best Quality Photos in Any Setting

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The amount of time that the shutter of your camera stays open, allowing a certain amount of light to enter into the sensor of the camera is called the shutter speed. The shutter is a part of the camera’s body, which opens and closes from time to time, depending on your camera’s setting.

In most cases, your camera’s shutter will open when you depress the release button of the shutter and closes when the time that you have set for your shutter to be open elapses.

Other cases are exceptional, and your shutter will not open and close, as explained above. For instance, when you have set your camera on a mode commonly known as the bulb mode, the shutter will remain open and will only close when you depress the shutter release button.

For you to have creative and amazing photographs and even give them motion, you will need to make sure that you learn how to use the shutter speed of your camera entirely. This will also require you to know how to measure your shutter speed and to control the speed if you have to control it.

Measuring shutter speed

Your camera can display its shutter speed depending on the setting you use. One, your camera can show the shutter speed in numbers and not in fractions form. For instance, the camera may display 500 as your shutter speed. This means that your camera will be open for only 1/5o0 of one second.

Secondly, your camera can also display its shutter speed using quotation marks. The quotation marks are used to represent seconds. For this reason, in case your camera will show 10”, this means that your camera will be on for 10 seconds and then will close after the 10 seconds are over.

There is also another mode of the camera that is known as the bulb mode. When you set your camera in bulb mode, the camera will display its shutter speed as a bulb. In this case, the shutter speed will not be shown in either numbers or quotations. The shutter will remain open as long as you do not release the shutter release button and closes upon releasing this button.

You can control the shutter speed of your camera using the shutter priority mode. You can either set for faster shutter speed or lower shutter speed. Whichever shutter speed you select is used differently in photography.

The difference between fast, long, and slow shutter speed

When you set your camera shutter sound as fast, it means that your shutter will be faster than 1/500th of one second. This means that the shutter will not be below 500 when displayed in whole numbers. The likely speed that you maybe will range between 1/1000 of a second and even above.

When your shutter speed is displayed as 100 or 1’’ it means that your shutter speed is low. There is also another shutter speed that is known as the long shutter speed. This is always above one second, and when you set your camera under this mode, you will be required to use a tripod to perfect your photography.

When using a faster shutter speed, your camera will require more light, unlike when you are using a lower shutter speed. This light helps to ensure that there is enough exposure during photography.

When is faster shutter speed used?

Faster shutter speed is used in recording movements and also making them static. It is used in several ways which include:

Freezing moving objects

When the things that you want to freeze in their action are moving at high speed, you will require to use a fast shutter sound.

When you are freezing objects using your camera, the amount of light required must be high. For this reason, the shutter speed of your camera must be maximized.

Blur images

At other times you may be in a place where the amount of light is low, but you require to take photographs of different objects. In such situations, you must use a fast shutter speed to avoid taking blurred pictures.

Fast shutter speed is, therefore, very perfect when you are taking photographs of moving objects. For this reason, it is used in.

Sports photography

The fast shutter speed enables you to capture photographs of the player who are in motion.

Car photography

You can capture photographs of moving bikes, cars, and even planes flying at a very high speed.

Animal photography

You can capture photographs of birds flying at high speed and even other running animals.

When to use a long shutter speed?

Long shutter speed is mainly used in night photography. It enables you to capture any objects during the night.

When to use slow shutter sound?

Slow shutter speed can be used when:

  • The amount of light is low. In this case, you will require to use a tripod.
  • You want to capture drops of water or a falling waterfall. The slow shutter speed will make this incident lively instead of freezing them as the fast shutter speed does.

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Dion Lewis
My name is Dion Lewis. Photography is my life and I have taken it as my profession after my graduation. I am a professional, I almost cover everything from fashion, architecture, editorial topics, and corporate lifestyle. I have worked with clients such as CNN, Alabama State University, Steelcase, LiveStrong, and more. I'm based in Alabama. If you need my service, just feel free to contact me.

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