Choosing the correct shutter speed with a manual camera is very important. "Shutter speed” refers to how fast or slow your camera lens shutter opens, and it works in conjunction with the aperture to affect how much light the negative receives. Shutter speed can also be used to achieve artistic effect with motion blur, but if used incorrectly, it can ruin a photograph with unintentional blur.
Instructions
1. Decide what you want to achieve with the subject you are photographing. Your shutter speed will vary based on whether you want to demonstrate action or freeze the motion.
2. Choose a faster shutter speed to freeze action. Depending on how much light is available, most action involving people will be “frozen” with a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second or higher. This is also a good shutter speed to keep in mind, because any time you use a slower speed, you should use a tripod to eliminate camera shake.
3. Choose a slower shutter speed to capture motion blur. You'll need to use a tripod, which will keep every nonmoving object stable; only moving objects will blur. With a shutter speed of 1/30 of a second, a fast-moving object such as a car will register with a small amount of blur. Using a shutter speed of one second or more may result in that car represented as a line all the way across the image.
4. Take a light-meter reading. You must keep in mind that a slow shutter speed used to capture motion may be allowing too much light to hit your negative. You must adjust your aperture accordingly by changing it to a higher number (smaller opening.) It is also important to keep in mind that changing aperture will affect your depth of field. For example, if your light meter reflects the correct settings to be F8 at 1/60 of a second, but you want to show a slight amount of motion blur, you would change your shutter speed to 1/30, and adjust your F-stop to F16. An F-stop of F16 will give you a greater depth of field.
5. Take the photograph. Make sure the changes you made are accurately reflected in your light-meter reading. If you are unsure, you should take a photograph with one F-stop above, and one F-stop below. This will provide a safety net for you. Practice makes perfect, so take photos often, and make notes on what works and what does not.
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