Mastering what shutter speed to use for perfect shots
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Have you ever struggled to capture sharp, dynamic photos only to be disappointed by blurry results when you view them on a big screen?
If so, you are not alone!
As a beginner photographer, figuring out what shutter speed to use can be like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.
Messing it up can leave you with a bunch of photos that are completely out of focus and unusable.
Believe us when we say we had this happen countless times when we first started. We used too slow of a shutter speed on a whole evening of photos during a food tour in Marrakech. When we got home, we were so disappointed we had missed out on capturing those memories.
So, if you want to avoid these upsetting situations, then read on.
We’ll show you how to capture stunning photos every time, no matter the situation.
We have travelled the world, capturing different cultures, landscapes, wildlife and festivals. Now, we have mastered exactly what shutter speed to use in any situation.
After reading this blog, you will know how to freeze action with fast shutter speeds and create dramatic motion blur with long exposures.
We will share all we have learned along the way and the mistakes we have made to supercharge your learning.
What is shutter speed?
Shutter speed is one way we can control exposure in an image. When you think of shutter speed, the word exposure can help us understand precisely what is happening inside the camera.
Shutter speed can be defined as “The length of time a camera’s shutter remains open, allowing light to hit the camera sensor”.
In front of the sensor inside the camera is a door (shutter).
When you want to expose the sensor to the outside world, you must open (release) that door.
When light hits the camera sensor, it records an image of what the sensor was exposed to.
Due to how sensitive a camera’s sensor is to light, we usually only open it for very short spaces of time, which is fractions of a second in most cases.
How shutter speed is measured
Advancements in technology allow modern-day cameras to achieve shutter speeds up to eight-thousandths of a second (1/8000).
This allows them to freeze the most brief moment in time, showing us something we could never perceive with our eyes alone.
Shutter speed is always measured in fractions of a second or seconds when using a long shutter speed, such as 2 seconds for a long exposure photo.
A second is displayed with quotation marks following the time in seconds e.g. 1”.
Traditional film cameras always rely on a mechanical shutter to expose the film to light. We can compare this to opening and closing the door in front of the sensor.
Digital cameras use mechanical, digital, or a combination of both. A digital turns the sensor on and off instead of using a mechanical door to expose the sensor to light.
How does shutter speed affect exposure?
We know by now that the shutter speed determines the amount of light that reaches the sensor.
However, this is not the only factor that affects this.
We also have to consider the aperture, a circular diaphragm of mechanical blades that open and close, allowing more or less light to enter the lens.
Also, the ISO affects the exposure, where we can increase the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light.
However, increasing the ISO comes at the cost of lowering the quality of the image and introducing noise into the photo.
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Man carrying Kavadi at Thaipusam festival taken at ISO 6400 with a shutter speed of 1/200. Notice the graininess of the image, particularly in the dark areas.
The ambient lighting conditions dictate how fast a shutter speed can be achieved without losing any image quality.
A sports photographer will easily capture a fast shutter speed image of a runner at 1/1000 in the middle of a bright sunny day at ISO 100.
Landscape photography is typically practised at sunrise or sunset.
These are very low-light conditions, so most landscape photographers use a slow shutter speed. It allows them to capture as much light as possible whilst retaining low ISO values.
Without correctly setting the shutter speed for your image, you risk overexposing or underexposing an image.
An excessively long shutter speed in bright conditions can lead to blown-out highlights.
Blown-out highlights refer to areas of an image that are so bright they lose all detail, appearing pure white or excessively overexposed.
For example, in a landscape photo, if the sky is overexposed, the clouds might appear as a featureless white patch rather than retaining their fluffy textures and subtle shading
Whereas a fast shutter speed in low light conditions can lead to overly dark patches of shadow in the darker areas of your image.
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What is motion blur?
Shooting a moving subject with a low shutter speed can create a streaking effect in the image. We call this effect motion blur.
Slow shutter speed photography, using shutter speeds like 1/30 increases motion blur. On the other hand, a fast shutter speed of 1/1000 minimizes it.
In certain types of photography, this blurring motion can visually represent movement.
Like capturing the blurred motions of busy commuters in a cityscape.
It can also be used to create smooth-flowing water in waterfall photography. Or create an almost glass-like appearance of water on a lake.
These techniques create visual storytelling in images. For example, a blurred tree at the foot of a waterfall can show the forces the crashing water exerts on its surroundings.
You must use a tripod to stabilise the camera to capture these effects.
By doing so, the only moving subjects in the image will have motion blur, rather than the whole image being blurry and out of focus.
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Camera shake and the handheld shutter speed rule
Slow shutter speed photography while hand-holding a camera can streak the whole image.
Even though some of the subjects are entirely still.
We call this camera shake, and it is one of the most common mistakes among new photographers.
The handheld shutter speed rule is a general rule that can be used to avoid camera shaking at low shutter speeds.
It directly relates to the focal length at which you are shooting.
The Handheld shutter speed Rule is 👇
The shutter speed should not be lower than the focal length you are shooting at.
For a lens with a focal length of 30mm, you want to keep the shutter speed at 1/30 of a second when shooting handheld.
For a 200mm lens, you will have to increase the shutter speed to 1/200.
We were unaware of this when we were starting out in photography.
We bought a 100-400mm Sigma Lens and couldn’t get one sharp image.
We even ended up selling it because we couldn’t use it. Now we know we were using too slow a shutter speed for the lens’s focal length.
Modern cameras now have built-in stabilization features.
A mechanism inside the camera adjusts the sensor to compensate for tiny movements. They allow photographers to capture sharp photos with lower shutter speeds while holding them by hand.
This will allow you to shoot below the general rule and still be able to achieve sharp images.
However, in our experience, use this as a last resort.
Stick to the general shutter speed rule (see bold above) to ensure you don’t get any disappointing results.
Environmental factors like high winds and uneven terrain can impact the general rule of thumb.
Your posture and how stable you can hold the camera play a significant role in reducing camera shake.
We suggest standing firmly with your feet wide apart and holding the camera firmly with both hands.
Bring the camera up to your eye and use your head as a third support for your camera. If you have a larger lens attached to your camera, use one of your hands to support the lens while the other holds the camera and presses the shutter button.
There are some exceptions to the rule.
Experienced photographers have often mastered their hand-holding capabilities.
They can reach much slower shutter speeds than the suggested rule of thumb.
Another exception is the fine art photography style of ICM (Intentional Camera Movement).
This is where photographers intentionally move the camera during an exposure. They do this to create dreamy effects and colourful artwork.
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How to adjust the shutter speed on your camera
To adjust your camera’s shutter speed, you must change your camera from automatic mode.
Two modes allow you to change the shutter speed.
One is shutter speed priority mode where the camera software adjusts the other settings of ISO and aperture.
And also full manual mode where you have complete control over all the settings.
Shutter speed controls can be found in various places on your camera.
The shutter speed can be adjusted on more advanced cameras by moving a round dial.
The dial is usually placed in positions where your index finger sits while holding the camera.
The shutter speed can also be adjusted in the cameras’ menus either by using the dials on the back of the camera or touchscreen.
If you want to check your shutter speed, you can see it on the back of the camera screen on certain display modes.
You can also see it on some cameras in the viewfinder.
Becoming familiar with the settings and display options on your camera is extremely important.
We suggest discovering how they work on your camera before experimenting with shutter speeds.
In automatic mode, you can change the shutter speed by adjusting the exposure compensation dial. If you adjust the exposure compensation for a brighter image, this will lower the shutter speed. Adjusting it for a darker image will give you a faster shutter speed.
Smartphone users can also adjust the shutter speed in the settings. Or download a third-party app that allows the settings to be adjusted.
How to get sharp photos every time
Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to get a sharp photo every time.
Even the most experienced sports photographers often have to sift through hundreds of photos to find the sharpest images.
But this is an extreme example.
In most cases we can definitely ensure we get sharp photos by using the correct shutter speed for the situation.
When you select a shutter speed, you are basically choosing an appropriate shutter speed to match how fast a subject is moving.
For a subject that isn’t moving, such as when photographing mountains in landscape photography, you can choose a low shutter.
If you are hand-holding the camera, this will be as low a shutter speed as you can manage without introducing a camera shake.
If you’re using a tripod, then you can use a shutter speed as low as the ambient light allows without over-exposing the image.
But let’s say, for instance, there is a tree in front of the mountain that is being blown by strong winds. The tree will be blurry if you use a slow shutter speed.
In fact, in strong winds, you must use very fast shutter speeds, like 1/500, if you don’t want blurry foliage in your shot.
When deciding the best shutter speed for portraits, you must consider how fast the subjects are moving.
If you’re shooting a posed photo, a slower speed of 1/60 can be achieved. B
ut let’s say you’re shooting a candid photo, your subject could quickly move and go out of focus so a higher shutter speed like 1/250 should be used.
Getting sharp photos every time relies on choosing the best shutter speed for the fastest-moving object in your frame.
But how do we know the correct shutter speed for the fast object we are photographing?
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Shutter speed chart
Below is a visual guide to show you common shutter speeds and their applications in photography.
They range from fast shutter speeds of 1/4000 to freeze action and slow shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds for dreamy long exposures & star trails.
This chart will help you choose a shutter speed that is good enough to get sharp photos of your subject.
Remember that this chart is just a guide, and the values can change depending on the situation.
For example, a shutter speed of 1/1000 may not be necessary to photograph a three-toed sloth in the Amazon rainforest. Conversely, 1/60 may not be a fast enough shutter speed to take a freeze of a landscape photo of a forest on a windy day.
Fast shutter speed examples
Fast shutter speeds are ideal for capturing fast-moving objects.
Sports, athletes, cars & wildlife photography requires freezing the subject in action. Typically, these range from 1/500 and, in extreme cases, up to 1/64,000 using a digital shutter.
Using high shutter speeds often comes at a price.
Due to the limited time the shutter is open, the sensor is exposed to hardly any light.
Therefore, the ISO must be high to achieve a high shutter speed in all but the brightest conditions.
This creates noise in the image.
Image noise is a term used to describe the distortion or graininess that appears in high ISO images.
It often resembles random specs of colour or brightness that reduce the overall quality of an image.
This will, in turn, limit how much you can edit a photo before the graininess becomes apparent, e.g. raising the shadows or cropping in.
Modern editing software such as Luminair Neo & Adobe Photoshop have built-in AI noise-reduction tools. These are a godsend when editing high-ISO images.
You simply click the AI noise reduction tool, and the software removes the graininess from your image.
It is often the case that photographers will use wide-open apertures to get as much light into the camera as possible and sacrifice getting all of their subjects in focus to do so.
It truly is a fine balancing act, and this is why we consider using a fast shutter speed to be one of the most technically difficult aspects of photography.
Examples of slow shutter speed
Let’s start by saying that we are huge fans of slow shutter speeds due to our fondness for landscape photography.
The most dramatic landscape photos are taken around sunrise and sunset when ambient light is at its lowest.
Capturing every detail in a landscape requires a narrow aperture to ensure all of the landscape is in focus.
Typically, landscape photos must be taken with very low ISO values, such as 100 – 200, to ensure every detail is captured.
To achieve these requirements, a slow shutter speed must be used to avoid camera shake at these low values. This is why you always see landscape photographers using tripods.
Slow shutter speeds are all about creating a sense of motion, showing streaks of light & movement in an image.
You will see slow shutter speeds, which are most commonly used in waterfall photography.
While all other objects in a waterfall scene, such as rocks, trees and earth, stand still, the water blurs into a smooth-flowing motion.
Another landscape photography trick is to smooth out water on a lake or river to create a peaceful and tranquil scene.
The waves created by wind over a lake will smooth out into a blur and create a glass-like look on the water. It also enhances reflections on the water, creating a mirror effect that creates a balanced image.
In landscape photography, you can also use long exposure to create dreamy effects in the clouds.
It can create a striking contrast to the stillness of the other objects in an image. Such as a cloud passing over a mountain, where the cloud’s passing is a momentary event compared to the centuries the mountain has stood.
Other creative effects can be achieved using slow shutter speeds.
Creating a juxtaposition between a single person being thoughtful in a busy crowd. Where the subject is sharp and still, and the crowd is blurred and streaky.
Something to note while using slow shutter speeds with your camera mounted on a tripod. When you release your finger from the shutter button, your tripod will vibrate.
For this reason, we always use a delayed shutter timer to take long exposures.
This means that once we release the shutter button, there will be a 5-second delay before the shutter releases.
Five seconds is usually plenty of time for the shaking to stop and for the camera to settle before taking the long exposure.
We prefer using this method over having a shutter release button particulartly while we are travelling for photography. It mean’s we don’t have to carry as much stuff in our camera bag.
Use a Neutral Density (ND) Filter for slow shutter speed photography
Despite landscape photography being shot during low light hours, achieving a slow shutter speed even at these times may require a Neutral Density filter (ND Filter).
These are sheets of darkened glass that are either held in front of the lens by a bracket or screwed directly onto the end of the lens.
They reduce the amount of light entering the camera much like sunglasses do for your eyes. They allow slow shutter speeds to be used even in the brightest conditions.
We prefer to use a circular variable ND filter.
This allows us to screw the ND filter onto the end of the lens and increase or reduce the brightness by turning the filter on the end of the lens.
We find it is the best for all types of travel photography as it takes up little space in your bag and offers a huge range of light filtration.
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How to choose the best tripod for slow shutter speed photography
When choosing a tripod, it is important to pick one that is robust and sturdy. We have had more than one instance where we used an insufficient tripod, which resulted in motion blur in our photos due to the tripod wobbling after pressing the shutter button or in high wind.
To ensure your tripod is well suited to your camera, choose one with a bearing weight that is double the weight of your camera and lens.
For instance, for a camera and lens with a combined weight of 2kg, use a tripod that supports 4kg.
Tripods are the biggest and bulkiest part of your photography equipment. It’s important to make sure your tripod won’t be too heavy for your daily needs yet sturdy enough for the conditions you intend to use it in.
Make sure you choose a tripod with a ball head design. The ball head allows you to make smooth, precise adjustments to the angle of your camera once it is set up.
Carbon fibre material is lightweight and strong.
This makes it ideal for making tripods. This does, however, come at a cost, and carbon fibre tripods can be three times more expensive than the aluminium version.
That said, most photographers spend a little more on their tripod to reduce the weight of their kit. We often have to consider the weight of our luggage at airports, and anything to reduce that weight is a worthy investment.
We also do a lot of hiking and photography in nature; when carrying a 14kg backpack in tropical conditions, we’re glad we aren’t carrying 15kg. Every KG counts.
The final consideration is tripod height.
We have also suffered here from choosing the wrong tripod. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to photograph something from a desired height because your tripod is too short!
For this reason, we recommend making sure your tripod is as tall as your packaging constraints allow.
Here are a few recommended tripod options you can choose from:
- Benro Lightweight Travel Tripod – Lightweight and Affordable
- Benro Tortoise 35C + GX35 Tripod Kit – Very stable but heavy to carry
- Peak Design Travel Tripod – Carbon – Stable and light but also the most expensive option
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Bulb mode
We have spoken a few times about going beyond 30-second shutter speeds.
When looking at your camera you might see that 30 seconds is the limit of how long the shutter can be open for.
If a longer time than 30 seconds is required we have to switch the camera to BULB mode.
Bulb mode allows you to open and close the shutter manually for as long a period as you like.
Pressing the shutter release opens the shutter, then pressing the shutter release again closes it.
You cannot use BULB mode without using a remote shutter release (well, you can, but your photos will be extremely blurry). It is a remote device that you plug into the camera that allows you to activate the shutter release without actually touching the camera.
This way, when activating the shutter, you are not moving the camera in any way.
It also means you won’t be wobbling the tripod the camera is attached to after pressing the shutter button.
Best shutter speed for portraits
Typical shutter speed for portraits range from 1/125 – 1/250 depending on how much your subject is moving.
A posed portrait can be taken at 1/125 or even lower when the subject is perfectly still.
A candid portrait where someone isn’t aware they’re being photographed will need a higher shutter speed like 1/250.
A portrait requires sharp focus around the eyes as this is the first thing a viewer will look at in a photo.
A high shutter speed will help achieve this by accounting for any unintentional movement by the subject.
A tip for photographing while travelling is to constantly shoot at high shutter speeds. This way you won’t miss any unexpected events you happen to come across.
Ambient light plays a significant role in selecting shutter speed for portrait photography. Unless you are taking portraits in a studio (which we never do) you will have to balance shutter speed with ISO to ensure you get an image with low noise as well as sharp focus.
Balancing shutter speed and ISO is an advanced skill.
A lot of the time, we prefer to use a high ISO and a fast shutter speed to ensure that the moment is captured.
Especially in situations where we have a limited chance to get the right expression and composition.
For example, in the image below, we were on a photo tour in Surakarta in Java.
We stopped at a cloth decorating village where people were working.
They were very kind and happy for us to take their photos, but they did not slow down their pace of work at all.
We used a fast shutter speed of 1/250 to capture these people and their skilled handiwork.
Focal length also plays a role in portrait photography.
Generally, portraits are taken with longer focal length lenses because they give a greater sense of subject separation and blurred background (bokeh). Therefore, a portrait taken with a 200mm lens will require a minimum value of 1/200, regardless of ambient light conditions.
When it comes to more dynamic portraits, for instance, with dancers or maybe a rock concert, you will need to use very fast shutter speeds like 1/1000 to freeze motion and get a sharp image.
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What shutter speed to use to capture light trails
The light trail is another creative effect landscape photographers use to emphasize the passing of time or even to make a mundane scene come to life.
We see it most often with car lights. When the car passes the camera, it captures the lights as they move throughout the entire image, creating a streak of light instead of a dot.
It requires a very slow shutter speed, typically 30 seconds or more. ND filters are commonly used to capture light trails to extend beyond the 30 second limit of shutter speeds.
Therefore, bulb mode is an important aspect of light trail photography. So, ensuring you have a tripod and remote shutter release before trying this is important.
Best shutter speed for capturing waterfalls
Shutter speed is essential in all photography, particularly in waterfalls. Different effects can be used to show the feeling and atmosphere surrounding a waterfall creatively.
For instance, a huge crashing waterfall such as Niagra Falls deserves to be shown in all its glory.
Using a high shutter speed will freeze all of the crashing water in the frame, showing the chaotic forces the water is causing.
Conversely, a small trickling waterfall in an enchanted-looking forest will benefit from a smooth-flowing stream that shows tranquillity and serenity.
For a smooth-flowing look in a waterfall, we use shutter speeds from 1/3 to 1/2 a second.
This usually gives a nice balance of smooth-flowing water without losing the details of the little splashes and trickles that bring it to life.
This can, however, change depending on the volume of water. Waterfalls with hardly any flowing water will require a more prolonged exposure, like 2 seconds, whereas a big waterfall with a lot of water can be taken at 1/8.
When it comes to freezing waterfalls, you need to choose the shutter speed that best suits the speed of the water. Fast-flowing water may require shutter speeds of 1/250 or 1/500.
ND filters are an important accessory for photographing waterfalls.
Waterfalls tend to be in valleys and forests, which don’t receive appealing light until late in the morning or early afternoon. To create long exposures at these times, you must reduce the ambient light entering the camera with an ND filter.
Conclusion
Understanding and mastering shutter speed is, in our opinion, the most challenging aspect of photography.
So many factors impact its use, like subject speed and ambient light, that only patience and practice will ultimately lead to you getting it right.
With this in mind, always take a few shots at different shutter speeds of your subject to ensure you won’t be disappointed by unwanted motion blur.
Be sure to equip yourself with all of the necessary tools, such as a sturdy tripod & ND filters, to ensure you achieve the look you desire.
As you gain experience, you will develop an intuitive sense of what shutter speed to use for different situations, ensuring you always convey your creative ideas as you want to in your images.
Photography is as much about mastering its technical aspects as it is about expressing your creative vision.
It’s easy to get frustrated when you make mistakes, but remember this is part of the journey, and each mistake is a lesson learned and a step further towards mastering your craft.
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