
The shutter speed is the length of time the shutter is open during the exposure, and one of the two methods of controlling the exposure (the other is the lens aperture). The camera’s shutter is normally closed, but when the picture [...]
Camera technology, jargon and techniques explained • Use the A-Z index or the search box to look up your chosen term

The shutter speed is the length of time the shutter is open during the exposure, and one of the two methods of controlling the exposure (the other is the lens aperture). The camera’s shutter is normally closed, but when the picture [...]
You set the shutter speed, the camera sets the aperture required to give the correct exposure. Shutter priority mode is often chosen for action photography where you need to be sure of high shutter speeds, or pictorial photography where you [...]
Exposes the sensor for a fixed length of time. The shutter ‘speed’ is the length of time the shutter remains open and is usually expressed in fractions of a second, although in poor light and night photography, exposures may run [...]

‘Safe’ shutter speeds are those where camera shake is unlikely. The picture above was shot at too slow a shutter speed, which is why it’s blurred. The usual guide to ‘safe’ speeds is to take the equivalent focal length of [...]
This is the simplest kind of automatic exposure mode and it’s found on every digital camera. What the camera does is measure the light level and then choose a combination of shutter speed and lens aperture which will produce the [...]
Moving the camera to follow a moving subject during the exposure. It takes some practice, but with a slowish shutter speed you can capture a moving object sharply against a blurred background. ‘Panning’ is also used to describe the way [...]

The light levels at night are generally too low for hand-held photography, even at high ISOs, but with a tripod it becomes possible to photograph practically any scene. What’s more, you can then use a low ISO to get the [...]
You can get motion blur in the background when you pan the camera to follow a moving subject, and you can also introduce this effect artificially in Photoshop.
Choosing a suitable shutter speed and aperture. Exposure technique is an art which relies on the effect that the photographer is trying to achieve – something that the camera, for all its sophisticated automated exposure systems, can’t possibly know. Light-toned [...]