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A fast enough shutter speed is essential to avoid a picture becoming blurred through camera shake, or because the subject itself was moving during exposure.

As well as helping to control overall exposure, shutter speed has an important role in portraying movement within a picture. The first thing that shutter speed can eliminate is the movement of the camera itself. However steadily you try to hold the camera with your hands, involuntary movements from your muscles mean that it is impossible to keep the image in the viewfinder completely still.

As a general rule, no camera set-up can be handheld without the risk of a blurred picture unless a shutter speed of faster than 1/30sec is used. But the problem with camera shake becomes more acute the longer the lens that you use – or the more you zoom into the subject. At higher magnifications, the slight movement of your body becomes more noticeable. The simple rule therefore is always to use the shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the focal length that you are using (or faster). For a 28mm lens setting you should use 1/30sec (the closest available speed to 1/28sec). For a 100mm you would use 1/125sec, for a 200mm 1/250sec, and for 300mm lens setting a minimum of 1/500sec.

Slower speeds can be used without the risk of camera shake, of course, if the camera is supported. A tripod should allow you the greatest range of shutter speeds – but slower speeds can be used by balancing the camera on a solid surface (such as a wall or car roof), or wedging your body tightly into a doorway. Some digital cameras and SLR lenses have image stabilisation systems that help reduce the effect of camera shake.

The movement of the subject itself should also be considered, as a faster than usual speed will generally be needed to capture the action crisply. The exact shutter speed needed will depend not only on the speed of the subject, but its distance from the camera, the focal length of the lens, and its direction of movement. The bigger the subject is in the frame, the more marked its movement will appear. Similarly, you will need a faster shutter speed if the subject is moving across the frame than if it is moving towards the camera.

Take it slowly after dark

When the light is low, there may be no alternative to using a much slower shutter speed than you could possibly use with a handheld camera. If a tripod is not available, you can stand a camera on a flat surface, such as the window ledge, and fire the camera using its self-timer to minimise vibration.

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When you first begin using a Digital SLR, aperture and shutter speed settings can be a thing of mystery. However, a photography course online will teach you how to confidently master these key aspects. Automatic settings are fine for many situations, but imagine the power you have when you are in total control of your camera, rather than the other way round. You longer need to make do with a photograph that you believed was the best your camera could produce – controlling aperture and shutter settings means you can make the most of challenging conditions.

Basically, aperture and shutter speed settings will dictate the exposure of your photograph. Aperture is the hole allowing light through to your photo. It’s similar to the iris in your eye – the more light that is available, the more closed your camera’s aperture needs to be to control how much light comes through. Too much light leads to overexposure.

Aperture settings also affect the focus of your picture – which parts of the picture are in, or out, of focus. This is known as depth of field. A small aperture creates a large depth of field, meaning both your main subject and background elements are all in focus. Conversely, a wide aperture gives you a small depth of field, allowing you, for example, to have a subject of a portrait in focus, with the background blurred. Whilst this can seem somewhat daunting to those just beginning, a suitable photography course online will show that this is not a difficult skill to learn. Practice makes perfect, as with most things in life.

Shutter speed dictates how long the exposure goes on for. The longer the shutter remains open, the more light comes in, and the brighter your final image will be. Therefore, this element of the photograph also needs to be carefully managed in order to produce the picture you want.

Secondly, shutter speed controls how any movement is captured in your photograph. So if you were out at a day’s motor racing, for example, you would need to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, or similarly, slow the shutter speed down if you purposely want to create a final blurred image. This trick works particularly well at nighttime. Try standing on a bridge over a busy road and capturing the traces of car headlights as the traffic passes by – although you would need to additionally use a tripod here to prevent camera shake upsetting your final picture.

Finding the correct combination of aperture and shutter settings can be the difference between an average image and a truly stunning photograph. With most modern digital cameras you can choose these automatically or set them yourself. To the novice, auto settings are fine most of the time, but a true photographer will take control of the creative process by making these adjustments manually, and a decent photography course online will successfully remove the mystique surrounding this subject.

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Photography Course Online – Why Controlling Aperture And Shutter Settings Improve Your Photos!

Aperture and shutter speed settings can be a thing of mystery when you first begin using a Digital SLR. However, it is more than worth your while to consider a photography course online to teach you how to master these key aspects. Using automatic settings can be fine for many situations, but imagine the power you have when you are in total control of your camera, rather than the other way round. No longer do you need to make do with a photograph that you thought was the best your camera could produce – having control over aperture and shutter means you can always make the most of challenging conditions.

Basically, aperture and shutter speed settings will dictate the exposure of your photograph. Aperture is the hole allowing light through to your photo. It’s similar to the iris in your eye – the more light that is available, the more closed your camera’s aperture needs to be to control how much light comes through. Too much light leads to overexposure.

Aperture settings also affect the focus of your picture – which parts of the picture are in, or out, of focus. This is known as depth of field. A small aperture creates a large depth of field, meaning both your main subject and background elements are all in focus. Conversely, a wide aperture gives you a small depth of field, allowing you, for example, to have a subject of a portrait in focus, with the background blurred. Whilst this can seem somewhat daunting to those just beginning, a suitable photography course online will show that this is not a difficult skill to learn. Like most things in life, practice makes perfect.

Shutter speed is simply a matter of how long the exposure goes on for. The longer the shutter remains open, the more light comes in, and the brighter your final image will be. Therefore, this element of the photograph also needs to be carefully managed in order to produce the picture you want.

Secondly, shutter speed controls how any movement is captured in your photograph. So if you were out at a day’s motor racing, for example, you would need to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, or similarly, slow the shutter speed down if you purposely want to create a final blurred image. This trick works particularly well at nighttime. Try standing on a bridge over a busy road and capturing the traces of car headlights as the traffic passes by – although you would need to additionally use a tripod here to prevent camera shake upsetting your final picture.

Finding the correct combination of aperture and shutter settings can be the difference between an average image and a truly stunning photograph. With most modern digital cameras you can choose these automatically or set them yourself. For the beginner, auto settings work well in most conditions, but a real photographer will control the creative process by making these adjustments manually. A decent photography course online will remove any confusion surrounding this subject.

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