Many are fans of capturing images; special moments with family, vacations or those natural landscapes. You do not need a super camera to achieve this, you could take professional photos even with your mobile, but if you have to be clear that without light, there can be no photography. Light is essential to take good photographic captures. Therefore, you must regulate the shutter speed of your camera. Here we tell you how you can do it.
How can you control and regulate the shutter speed?
It doesn’t matter if you use a reflex or digital camera, you can always control the shutter speed; the speed ranges from 1 second to 1/16000 fractions of a second, the latter being the fastest speed you can get.
Speed is measured in seconds and between each speed, there is something called a step; a fast speed equals less exposure time, that is, less light; a slow speed equals a longer exposure time, that is, more light.
When we talk about shutter speed or exposure time, we refer to the time the shutter will be open, allowing the image sensor to absorb light for photographic capture; you can control and regulate the shutter time by moving the camera dial, you can select between these modes: A, S and M; Let’s see what each one means.
- Automatic mode (A), you have no options to modify the speed, the exposure values are decided by the camera.
- The Speed Priority mode (S or T), in that case, you decide the exposure time and the camera automatically sets the other values, this option is good if you are learning or if you do not have time to adjust each value separately.
- Manual Mode (M), under this mode you can set the parameters of the photographic capture, define the speed, the aperture of the diaphragm (f) and the ISO (sensitivity of the image sensor to light).
We recommend that you practice with the different variables so that you can see which are the values that can lead you to obtain the best shot; the shutter speed (shutter speed), the size of the shutter aperture (aperture), and the camera’s ISO sensitivity must be balanced.
How useful are these speeds?
We know that at higher speed, less exposure time, therefore less light; lower speed, longer exposure time, more light; but in addition to allowing us to play with the lights and shadows in the capture, it allows us to capture the movement of the object or subject of the photograph. To experiment with speed in photography, the use of a tripod is useful, we encourage you to use it to get better photos.
What can we do with a slow shutter speed? For example, we can photograph a city at night, a slow exposure time allows absorbing a greater amount of light from buildings and vehicles, if you use a tripod the buildings will be static and the lights of the cars will be reflected as light lines in the take photo.
With a fast shutter speed, you can capture a drop of water when it falls into a glass, thus freezing the moment that is imperceptible to the eye; If the shutter speed is very slow, you will lose the moment in which the drop falls and you will only have a photo of a glass of water; at very fast shutter speeds the tripod is not necessary.
Remember that you must balance the shutter speed with the aperture of the diaphragm and the sensitivity to light; Together these three elements influence the amount of light, the depth of field and the stability of the photographic capture, you can control and regulate it in one or three different modes.
Go ahead and practice with different shots until you master the technique, for sure you can take photos like a pro. We hope the information has been useful to you.