Part 2 - The relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO

 Shutter speed and blur

Showing the effect of shutter speed on rotating pinwheels.

Notice in the above photos that shutter speed was different in each shot, yet each exposure is the same in terms of the amount of light hitting the sensor.  Understanding this is important in working with the variables of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.  You can find different balances between the three parameters to accommodate many situations that occur in photography.  By altering ISO and/or aperture, it was possible to get new shutter speeds without underexposing or overexposing the image.

Shutter speed is used to control light, but it also plays an important role in controlling blur from three different areas of motion:  motion of the subject (in this case, the pinwheels), motion of the photographer (or more specifically, the camera relative to the subject), and motion of the background (like in panning).  Altering the shutter speed can blur action, freeze action, or find a nice medium that shows elements of motion.

There is no one perfect shutter speed; you select the shutter speed based upon a number of variables.  Low light often requires low shutter speeds while lots of light means using faster shutter speeds.  Freezing motion, whatever its source, occurs at fast shutter speeds while blurred motion happens at lower shutter speeds.  Picking the right shutter speed depends highly on how much light there is, the options available on the camera, and the desired outcome.  Part of the equation is how fast the subject/background/camera is moving.  

Motion blur can be good for composition, depending on what it is you want to convey.  Have a look at some of the images below; you can see where shutter speed plays an important part of the outcome.  You decide if the result is good or bad.

I will discuss minimum handheld shutter speeds, camera stabilization, and panning in another blog.  That's all for now.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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