Shutter speed is one third of the exposure triangle.  Along with aperture and ISO, shutter speed determines how light or dark and how crisp or blurry your picture will look.  Understanding shutter speed will allow you to control your shot and get the image you want instead of the image your camera wants to give you.

But before discussing shutter speed, what is the shutter?  The shutter is the curtain that opens and closes to allow light to hit the film or image sensor in your camera.  Shutter speed is the speed at which the shutter opens and closes, which determines how much light hits your sensor.

Shutter speed is referred to in fractions of a second, such as 1/5 of a second, or 1/60 of the second or 1/1000 of a second.  Generally, a faster shutter speed allows in less light (leading to a darker image) and freezes motion.  A slower shutter speed allows in more light (leading to a brighter image) and results in motion or blur in your image.  Most people can handhold their camera at shutter speeds of 1/60 or faster without noticeable blur.

Many cameras allow you to select the shutter speed while the camera selects the aperture and ISO.  This is called shutter priority.  If you're shooting in this camera mode, you can choose a fast shutter speed of 1/1000 to catch your child playing sports and cleanly freeze the moment.  If it's dark and your taking pictures of an object that isn't moving, you can select a slow shutter speed of 1/30 or 1/15, etc.  Or you can get creative and choose a slow shutter speed to capture motion, such as moving cars, lowers stirring in a breeze or a waterfall.

Like all aspects of photography, you need to practice to really understand the effects of shutter speed on your images.  Take pictures of the same scene and change the shutter speed from really slow all the way to really fast, and at various speeds in between.  Do this in bright light, in the shadows and in different lighting conditions.  Practice, practice, practice.  Learn to understand shutter speed and you'll be on your way to mastering your camera and getting the shot you want.

Check out my Facebook page (@jaysepicphotos) for an example of the effect created by a slow shutter speed.

Next up, understanding aperture.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.