Good news. This week’s tip is much shorter than the one on aperture. But don’t get me wrong. Shutter speed is just as important.
Before you compose your picture, you need to decide whether you want a frozen in mid-action shot or a blurred one. Okay, usually we don’t want blurred photos, but when done correctly they look really cool.
Most often we want sharp photos, and this is done with a fast shutter speed. If it’s windy or your friend is giggling and won’t sit still, slower shutter speeds will give you a fuzzy picture. Anything under 60 seconds (more if you’re using a long lens or have naturally shaky hands) requires the use of a tripod to help prevent camera shake. Some of the newer camera models are designed to prevent this from happening. For really slow speeds, you may need to use a shutter release cable—sold separately.
In this shot, I used a small aperture (F 27) and a tripod so that the fence was sharp. The slow shutter speed (1/6 second) captured the movement of the daisy in the wind. If the background hadn’t been in focus, the picture would have look like a mistake instead of intentional.