Shutter speed is one of the three main important settings in photography along with aperture and ISO.

DSLR cameras have at least four main shooting modes:

• Manual mode
• Aperture priority mode
• Shutter speed priority mode
• Program mode

In shutter speed priority mode we are in control of the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture automatically to ensure correct exposure.

Shutter speed is the length of time the camera shutter is open while taking a photograph. The longer the shutter speed, the more light hits the sensor and we get what is called motion blur and a feeling of movement. This mode is mostly used when we want either really sharp photos with a low shutter speed (in sport photography we want to freeze the moment) or a nice blurry effect obtained with a long shutter speed (mostly for water: waterfalls, waves, etc). The measurement unit of the shutter speed is in fractions of seconds. Nowadays, most cameras can go from 1/4000th of a second to 30 seconds, although we can have longer shutter speeds.

Using waves as an example, we can see that a normal shutter speed results in a normal photo

f/9.0, 1/50 sec, ISO 100

whereas a slow shutter speed results in a far more interesting photo where the water appears to have a silky texture.

f/8.0, 0.8 sec, ISO 200 – ND filter with 6 stops

In order to afford such low shutter speed, we need a sturdy tripod that won’t move with the wave impact and supports the weight of the camera.

Moreover, if you are not in low light conditions (i.e. at noon), you should avoid overexposing your photos. This can be achieved by using Neutral Density (ND) filters, which I will explain in a future article.

Behind the scenes – shot with iPhone 5

And after waiting for the right moment, we can finally take the photo we had been waiting for the whole evening:

f/8.0, 1 sec, ISO 200 – ND filter with 6 stops

I hope that with these few basics, you can start playing with the Shutter speed mode!