Shutter speed and exposure in DSLR photography: what it is and how it works

When people start taking pictures with their first single lens digital reflex (DSLR) camera, exposure is the basics that cause them a lot of trouble. But what is the key to “exposure”? Let’s have a discussion.

Basically, the term exposure in modern DSLR photography indicates the time, amount, and sensitivity of light that an image sensor will be exposed to. This exposure can be controlled by three things, known as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

In this article I am going to talk about shutter speed. This is the time during which the shutter will remain open and the light through the lens will fall on the image sensor. Here are some facts about the shutter speed:

It is indicated by some numbers like 1/10, 1/200, 1/4000, 1/2, etc. Basically it is always calculated in a fraction of a second, which means that the shutter speed 1/2000 indicates the only unit of time that we will get if we divide 1 second into 2000 equal units.

The faster the shutter speed, the less the sensor will be exposed to light. Faster shutter speeds are often required to capture very fast moving subjects such as a panther chasing a deer or a formula one car at full speed.

Fast shutter speed is one of the key things in freezing a subject, which is an essential part of sports photography or wildlife photography.

Typically, a highest shutter speed on an entry-to-mid level DSLR camera is 1/4000, stretching to 1/8000 on professional DSLR bodies.

A slow speed is also a very useful tool for creative photography. When you’re in a low-light location, the image sensor needs to be exposed for a long time to capture your perfect image. Suppose you are eager to capture the Taj Mahal on a moonlit night, then slow speed is the main thing that will help you get the picture of your dreams.

It is treated as slow when it becomes 1/10 or slower than that, although there is no hard and fast rule to define slow.

The main obstacle photographers face when handling a low light environment and slow speed is the blurring effect in the image known as motion blur and camera shake.

Motion blur is caused by anything (a car or a person) that was in motion during the exposure time. Minimal movement on someone’s body can also cause motion blur when capturing images with slow shutter speeds. So, be careful about movement while filming. But this motion blur could be interesting and an effective tool for creativity if you can handle it efficiently and intelligently.

Camera shake is caused by movement of the photographer’s body or body parts. Although you might think it’s very small and nominal, your high-precision DSLR treats it like an earthquake. To eliminate this problem, a sturdy tripod should be used.

A remote release cable with a sturdy tripod is the best combination when you plan to capture photos at night with slow and long shutter speeds.

The slowest of most DSLR cameras is 30 seconds, after which it offers an option known as “BULB”, in which the shutter remains open while the shutter-release button is pressed.

Special tip:

Always keep in mind that the slower the shutter speed, the more power hungry your camera is and will drain your battery faster. Therefore, it is the best option to keep a fully charged spare battery for your camera when you plan to take a good number of long exposure shots.

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