What is Shutter Speed?

Put simply, shutter speed is the amount of time that the lens on your camera is taking in light to capture the photo. "Taking in light" means the light is going through the lens and hitting the sensor of the camera, which ultimately determines what is seen in the final image.

A shutter that opens and closes very quickly will not let in a lot of light, while a shutter that opens and then doesn't close for a long time will let in much more light. These changes in the time the shutter is open will change the exposure of the photo.

A shorter time open / faster shutter speed will result in a lower amount of light hitting the sensor / less exposed photo. A longer time open / slower shutter speed will result in a higher amount of light hitting the sensor / more exposed photo.

Using "Fast" Shutter Speeds

So what is considered a fast shutter speed? In instances when the shutter is open for less than around 1/2 second, this is considered a fast shutter speed. This is also known as a

For most photographs you want to take, you'll need to set the shutter speed to 1/100 second or faster when shooting handheld. Any longer and you might end up with blurry photos with motion blur showing. The faster your shutter opens and closes, the smaller amount of time you are capturing.

Using "Slow" Shutter Speeds

So what is considered a slow shutter speed? In instances when the shutter is open for more than 1 second, this is considered a slow shutter speed. This is also known as a long exposure shot, since the photo is being exposed for longer than normal.

You can achieve some pretty cool effects using a slow shutter speed. It's especially effective for capturing trails of light, since you can capture the entire path of the light source in one photo.

Here are some of the properties of a slow shutter speed photo:

• More exposed photo

• Motion is blurred or shown over time

• Useful for star trails and light trails