Shutter Speeds

The shutter is a mechanical shade in the back center of the camera directly in front of the frame of film you are shooting. When the button on the camera to take a picture is pressed this shade opens for a fraction of a second. If the shutter is open for too little time the photograph will be too dark. If the shutter is open for too long the photograph will be too light. Many cameras allow the photographer to choose a shutter speed. The advantage of this type of camera is that by varying the shutter speed the photographer can control how motion will appear in the finished photograph.

1/8000 will stop any motion

1/4000 high enough speed to take pictures while walking

1/2000 will stop most motion

1/1000 will stop bicyclists and runners

1/500 will freeze a person jumping in the air

1/250 will stop some motion

1/125 to avoid camera shake

Speeds that blur motion. Use a tripod for these speeds.

1/60 slight blurring of motion

1/30 very good speed to show a bit of blur when photographing dancers

1/15 the blurring of motion becomes clearly evident

1/8 the blurring motion becomes more pronounced

1/4 the blurring of motion becomes extreme

1/2 high speed motion begins to become invisible

1 medium speed motion begins to become invisible

2 all motion begins to become invisible

4 more motion begins to become invisible

8 motion develops a fog like quality

B this one allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you want

When choosing a shutter speed to control motion, it must also be a shutter speed that correctly exposes the film so that the photograph is neither too light nor too dark.