Featured Tip

What is shutter speed?

For any given scene there will be an optimum exposure. The exposure is a measure of how much light hits the sensor of your digital camera (in the old days it was how much light hit the film).

Think of it in these terms;

A properly exposed photo might need 1,000 “units” of light to hit the sensor.
If you let in too much light (maybe, 2,000 units) your photo will be overexposed – it will appear bleached out.
If you don’t let in enough light (maybe, 500 units) then the photo will be underexposed – it will appear too dark.

Your camera can do one of two things to ensure 1,000 units hit the sensor;

The first thing is to open the shutter for a set period of time - this is called the shutter speed. When the shutter opens, the sensor on your digital camera is exposed to light. When it closes no more light can enter.

Example: If opening the shutter for half a second lets in 500 units of light, doubling that to one second will let in the 1,000 units you need for a well exposed photo.

The second way your camera can allow those 1,000 units in is to make the hole at the front of the camera wider (this hole is the aperture).

Example: The shutter speed can stay at half a second, but make the hole at the front of the camera twice as large and 1,000 units of light can enter in that same half a second.