Picking the correct shutter speed is often the difference between a tack-sharp image loaded with detail and an image with a blurry subject riddled with noise. Knowing how to Choose the best shutter speed is a fundamental part of photography that you must understand to take great photos.
Additionally, it’s essential to realize that photographers must balance the shutter speed with the aperture and ISO to capture the perfect exposure. A lot to think about to capture one simple photo? Don’t worry; we’ll help you determine the best shutter speed for any instance.
What is Shutter Speed?
Shutter speed is an essential camera setting that adjusts how quickly the shutter closes. The shutter speed affects how long the image is exposed. Without additional accessories or add-ons, most cameras can have a shutter speed as fast as 1/4000 (sometimes even faster) of a second and as slow as 30 seconds.
The longer the shutter speed, the more light the camera allows into the sensor. On the other hand, shorter shutter speeds allow less light to hit the sensor. While adjusting the shutter speed according to how much light you need to capture makes sense, you must remember that it should be properly balanced with aperture and ISO, allowing you to creatively adjust the shutter speed to pick the best speed for your desired image.
How to Choose the Best Shutter Speed
When selecting the best shutter speed for your photo, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself. First, is anything in your scene moving, and if so, how quickly? Since shutter speed affects how long the image is exposed, you can experience a blurred subject if your shutter speed is too long. The shutter speed will need to be adjusted based on the speed of the moving subject, but these are some guidelines you can use to get started:
- Landscapes (motion blur): 1-second shutter speed or slower
- Low-Light: 1-second shutter speed or slower
- Portraits: 1/100 second shutter speed or faster
- Sports: 1/500 second shutter speed or faster
- Wildlife: 1/500 second shutter speed or faster
- Birds in flight: 1/1000 second shutter speed or faster
Not all animals move fast. When animals are moving slowly, you can get away with a slower shutter speed (1/60 second for this image).
There are many other variables to consider, and these are just recommendations. Faster-moving subjects will require quicker shutter speeds, and vice versa. Sometimes, you’ll have to relinquish the perfect settings to make adjustments. For example, suppose you shoot landscapes and want to capture the motion blur of the water while it’s windy out. In that case, you may need to increase the shutter speed to avoid having blurred trees blowing in the wind.
Additionally, bird photographers may push their shutter speed slower to capture enough light in low-light scenarios, like just before sunrise or after sunset.
Balance Speed with ISO and Aperture
For many photographers, having a sharp image is at the top of the list. You may have to increase ISO or open your aperture wider to achieve a sharp image. Whatever you photograph, try multiple shutter speeds and find the best results for yourself since results vary significantly among different kinds of photographers.
Remember that light is a premium in photography; most photographers can always use more light. You’ll constantly be battling your shutter speed to ensure it’s fast enough to capture a sharp subject yet slow enough to let in the right amount of light. The best shutter speed for your particular kind of photography is going to be the one that does both. Remember that you can also leverage the aperture and ISO to allow more light into the camera to manipulate the shutter speed as needed.
Creative Effects with Shutter Speed
Once you’ve mastered selecting the correct shutter speed to capture a sharp image, you can play with creative effects using shutter speed. Both ultra-fast and ultra-slow shutter speeds can produce interesting results in your image, and you’ll find that doing this can give your photos a creative touch.
Landscape photographers can use slower shutter speeds to yield motion blur in waterfalls and streams. Astrophotographers may opt to try exposures that are hours long to create star trail images. Portrait photographers can use a slower shutter speed to add creative blur to their images. Macro photographers can use a fast shutter speed to capture quick movement. The possibilities are endless, and you should leverage the aperture and ISO to adjust the shutter speed for more creative effects.
I used an intervalometer to set my shutter speed to three hours, showing the rotation of the earth and the stars in the sky.
The Minimum Shutter Speed Rule
Above everything else, you need to remember the rule about the absolute slowest shutter speed you can use based on your focal length. This rule only applies when shooting handheld, not on a tripod or monopod. The rule states that your minimum shutter speed would be one over your focal length. For example, a 30mm lens would have a minimum shutter speed of 1/30 of a second handheld, while a 200mm lens would have a minimum handheld shutter speed of 1/200.
This minimum speed is due to camera shake or movement while holding the camera. Even shooters with the most steady hands still move slightly, and your image may not be sharp if you go slower than the recommended shutter speed. Longer focal lengths require faster shutter speeds since movement is easier to detect on telephoto images with more zoom.
Avoiding camera shake is why you see so many landscape photographers using tripods. Landscape photographers use tripods to stabilize their cameras while shooting since you can achieve a sharp image with a slower shutter speed. On the other hand, portrait photographers generally don’t use tripods since their shutter speed has to be fast enough to capture a moving subject, which is far quicker than the minimum shutter speed rule would state.
Photographers should follow this rule even with the improvements in in-camera image stabilization. In certain circumstances, you may find that you can slow the shutter speed further without a tripod, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I used a fast shutter speed of 1/1250 second to freeze the motion in this frame and capture the kayaker coming off the waterfall.
Conclusion
Picking the best shutter speed for your photography depends on what you’re trying to achieve and what you photograph. However, the test of the best shutter speed remains constant among different kinds of photography. If your shutter speed captures enough light to expose the image and creatively enhance it. In that case, you have likely chosen the best shutter speed for your photograph.
