Shutter Speed: Part 1

Forgive my slowness this last week. I am busy preparing for the new semester to begin on the 12th and trying to find the best way to put this together for everyone. Plus, after a very long battle with HP my laptop is finally in for repair/replacement. Love my tablet to death...hate HP's service center! Anyways, lets get on to something relevant!

I'm going to dial down the technical aspects a bit from here out as I see some finding it confusing. I really want this to be a simple and easy way for everyone to learn.

Shutter speed controls how long the shutter remains open. Like the aperture, changing this setting will produce an array of effects. For sports and fast moving kiddos, you want a fast shutter speed to freeze the action in the scene. Waterfalls, streams, and other water shots can be enhanced by using a slow shutter speed to capture the flowing of the water. It sounds simple enough but usually requires a little extra step to get the results you're looking for.

First thing, if you don't have one already, get a tripod. This is going to be a big factor in the quality of your shots. We will be covering types of tripods and the need for them soon but for now get one and use it. Money is tight with everyone these days so if all you can get is a cheap one it's better than nothing but I'd suggest start saving for a good tripod.

Lets say we're shooting a waterfall and we want that nice flowing look. You have to use a tripod for this. *If you are using a Nikon lens that has VR it should be turned off when shooting on a tripod. There will be a switch right on the lens.* You can shoot this in either Manual(M) or Shutter Priority(S) mode. Using a slower shutter speed is going to let light in longer so we'll need a small aperture(a large f-stop;f16,F22,F25,F32). I like to use shutter priority for this as it's less fiddling for me. In shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed and the camera will set the aperture. The shutter speed you choose will depend on how much light there is and how much blur you want.

The shot below was taken quite awhile ago with a D40 at 1/8s f/22. It was shot in the woods so it was fairly dark back there and did not require any extra compensation.

If you are shooting in bright light you will need some added compensation. If you get a blowout you can either add an exposure compensation or use a ND(neutral density) filter. On Nikon's, there is a button on the body that you hold down and turn the dial to add an EV compensation.




Assignment: Let it flow! Water falls, streams, rivers, or even your kitchen sink. Set up on a tripod and set your ISO to 100/200, as low as it goes. Put your camera into (S)shutter priority mode. Start at 1/60s and keep dialing down your shutter speed till you get the effect you're looking for. It doesn't take much to show the flowing of the water but if you want more blur take the shutter speed down a stop. Post your best/favorite image to the group pool. Please put the settings in the description.