Repeat: This is an important point I need to make that I did not mention in the previous blog. This entire blog series assumes that you are using your camera in Manual (M) mode. A lot of what I am about to say is valid in all the different modes your camera offers you, but you do not have total control unless you are in Manual (M) mode. If you really want to learn about photography, you must shoot in Manual (M) mode. Once you fully understand what we are about to talk about in the next few blogs, then you can revert to the auto settings if it suits your needs at the time? I don't need more the two hands to count the number of times I have shot in anything other than Manual over the past 25 years.
Shutter Speed
Again, in a previous blog we talked about how adjusting the shutter speed will affect how much light comes into the camera, and contributes to properly exposing the image. Shutter speed works hand-in-hand with the aperture to properly expose an image. If you increase the shutter speed, such as going from 1/125 to 1/250 second, you will decrease the amount of light that comes into the camera. If you decrease the shutter speed, such as going from 1/125 to 1/60 second you will increase the amount of light that comes into the camera. If you are shooting slower than 1/60 second, I strongly recommend you use a tripod or something else to help keep the camera perfectly still.
Well, like the aperture, the choice of shutter speed has a creative affect on the look and feel of the image as well. For example; if you are photographing a baseball game. There are times when the players are still and a fast shutter speed is not necessary. But if you are shooting at a slow shutter speed, such as 1/60 of a second, and the players are in motion, such as running to first base or swinging at a pitch, the image will be blurry. The reason being that from the time you hit the shutter release and the time the shutter opens and closes, the baseball bat will have moved. But if you take that same image at a high shutter speed, such as 1/500 second, the shutter opens and closes so fast that in that time period the bat will not have moved. In essence, you will have been able to freeze the bat.
If you take a look at the images below, they are a couple of examples of using a fast shutter speed when you are photographing an action scene. I shot these at 1/500 second, but I really should have been using 1/1000 second. I know this because the ball is not completely frozen, there is a little bit of a blur. But overall, it did the trick.
You can see in the two images below the difference between shooting the same scene at a high shutter speed and shooing it using a slow shutter speed. There is a dramatic difference. Some images don’t look as good frozen in time.
The last image I did not have a tripod and I was in a very precarious position, so I had to braise up against some rocks.
So as you can see, the choice of shutter speed not only contributes to the exposure of am image, but also can contribute to the creativity of the image.
Tip: If you are trying to get the misty effect with a waterfall and that waterfall is in the sun, you are probably not going to be able to. The reason is that even if you choose the smallest lens opening such as f22, because it is so bright outside, you are probably not going to be able to select a slow enough shutter speed to get the effect. This always works better when the waterfall is in the shade.
Putting It All Together
So we know that there are many combinations of aperture and shutter speed that will give you a proper exposure. And as you increase the shutter speed you have to open of the lens using a smaller aperture. And conversely, if you are shooting at a slower shutter speed you will have to close the lens opening but choosing a higher aperture. But from a creative point of view, what are you trying to accomplish? Are you shooting a action scene where a fast shutter speed such as 1/500 second is more important than a lot of depth of field? Or are you shooting a landscape where you want everything in focus, so a bigger aperture such as f16 is more important than a fast shutter speed? Or are you photographing a person and you want everything other than the subject to be out of focus, so you want a small depth of field and therefore you are going to use a smaller aperture such as f4 and a matching faster shutter speed. This is where going out and just shooting and trying different settings for the same subject will teach you a lot.
Now that you know how shutter speed and aperture work together to create a properly exposed image and capture the look and feel you are after, GO OUT THERE AND SHOOT!