Shutter Speed for Beginners (7 Days to Mastering Manual Mode)

Understanding Shutter Speed for Beginners

Welcome to Day 4 of Mastering Manual Mode!

Yesterday we talked about how your camera's Aperture works.  Today, we will focus on the second of the 3 important elements that make up the all important exposure triangle: Shutter Speed - a crucial setting to understand and use properly if you want to take great photos.

What is Shutter Speed?

Shutter speed is another way to let light into the camera and in my opinion, is a little more straight forward than aperture.  The shutter is what “clicks” when you press the button to take a picture.  Think of it like a little curtain in your camera body that opens to let light in and then closes to stop the camera from recording more light.

The speed the shutter opens and closes is what determines how much light the camera records.  Shutter speed is measured in seconds and is typically shown as 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, etc.  For example a shutter speed of 1/500 will open and close the shutter in one five hundreth of a second.

As you can see in the following example, I photographed the same subject 6 different times, while only adjusting my shutter speed setting for each photo.  Notice the slower shutter speeds, here starting at 1/125 allow for more light to enter the camera than the faster shutter speeds.  The fastest shutter speed demonstrated in the example below is 1/4000 which allowed very little light to enter, resulting in a very dark exposure.

In general, because faster shutter speeds let less light into your camera they are used most often for daytime photography.  And as you can guess, the slower shutter speeds that let in more light work best for night photography or photos taken in low light. 

Tip: It is helpful to know that your camera typically shortens these numbers in the viewfinder.  For example, your camera would show 1/100th of a second by just displaying 100 in the viewfinder.

Shutter Speed Also Controls Motion!

Shutter speed is also used to control the amount of motion in a photograph.  A slow shutter speed is often selected to capture movement in an image because a slow shutter speed and a moving object will produce some blur in your image.  Faster shutter speeds are used to freeze motion/action without blur.

The infographic below is a great reference to help you remember which shutter speeds allow more or less light into the camera, which can cause blur or are good for freezing action, and which shutter speeds need a tripod or can be shot while hand-holding your camera.

Where to Start With Shutter Speed

You can determine the best shutter speed to use based on the subject you are shooting as well as the available light.

When photographing children, I try not to go below 1/125 or 1/250.  To capture a person in mid-air, you’ll need a very fast shutter speed of at least 1/1000.

Holding your camera in your hands while shooting at slow shutter speeds will cause blur.  So when I am photographing this way, I try not to let my shutter speed fall below my focal length number.  For example, if I am using a 50mm lens, I would keep my shutter at 1/60.  If I am using a zoom lens at 200mm, I would keep my shutter at 1/250.

How to Change Shutter Speed on Your Nikon Camera

Make sure you are in manual mode prior to following the instructions below.

To set your shutter speed on a Nikon Camera, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated.  Then, using your thumb, rotate the Main Command Dial.

How to Adjust Shutter Speed on Your Canon Camera

Again, make sure you are in manual mode prior to following the instructions below.

To set your shutter speed on a Canon Camera, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated.  Then, with your index finger, turn the main dial on the top of the camera.

Shutter Speed Example #1

Lets say you are photographing your child outdoors.  They are running and playing and you are only going to have a split second of to get the shot.  You need to make sure that your shutter speed is set at 1/500 or higher to get a sharp image.  Your other settings will be set around this one.

Shutter Speed Example #2

You are photographing a ride at the fair.  You want to demonstrate how it is moving in your image by allowing the ride to be blurry.  You will need to choose a slow shutter speed (around 1/30 or even slower around 1 second) and set up a tripod to keep the shot still and allow the slow shutter speed to blur the lights and motion.

Congratulations! You've just completed day 4 of Mastering Manual!

But Don't Stop Now!

Make sure to read the rest of our series to help you Master Manual Mode.  If you’ve missed any of the posts, you can read/review them at any time by clicking these links!