Chapter 2: Go, Shutter Speed, Go!
In This Chapter
Opening and closing the shutter
Translating speeds
Catching the blur
Managing the shutter
Dealing with slowpokes
I used to look down my nose at shutter speed. I was in love with aperture and only thought of that as I composed and took my photos. And that approach worked — when I took landscape photos using a tripod. However, when I tried to take other shots, I got frustrated fast.
I finally realized that shutter speed is very important, but for reasons that have little to do with exposure. Shutter speed isn’t unique in terms of how it contributes to exposure. You can trade stops of exposure between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, or use a flash or extra lighting if need be. Shutter speed is important because of its side effect: preventing blur.
Shutter speed is one of the most important settings on your camera. If shutter speeds are too low, and someone is moving, photos that could have been sharp won’t be. Blurriness is hard, if ...
