Bryan Peterson - Bryan Peterson Photography School: A Master Class in Creating Outstanding Images

The Photographic Triangle

CANON 5D MARK III
CANON 24105MM LENS
F/22 FOR 1/20 SECOND
ISO 100
DAYLIGHT/SUNNY WB

SHUTTER SPEED

Just as it was one hundred years ago, every camera, whether its a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) or on your smartphone, is nothing more than a lightproof box with a lens at one end and a light-sensitive device (digital sensor) at the other. When light is allowed to enter the hole in the lens (the aperture) for a certain amount of time (the shutter speed), an image will be recorded. This image is called an exposure. A correct exposure is a simple combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (the sensors sensitivity to light). I refer to these three factors as the photographic triangle. In this chapter, well look at common problems with each of these factors and how to solve them, starting with shutter speed.

Shutter speed controls the amount of time that light is allowed through the cameras lens to stay on the digital media. The slower the shutter speed, the more light is allowed in. Todays cameras offer shutter speeds from a blazingly fast 1/15,000 sec. to as long as 30 seconds. Smartphone cameras have a more limited range, from approximately 1/1000 sec. to 1/60 sec.

I have been fascinated with motion and shutter speed ever since I first picked up a camera in 1970. However, despite the amount of attention that Ive given this particular subject throughout the years both in my books and workshops, the creative use of shutter speed seems to fall more often than not on deaf ears. Most of my students seem to be far more content with exacting sharpness and images that are quiet, predictable, and easy on the blood pressure. But using shutter speed creativelywhether by freezing action or suggesting motioncan bring a welcome, often surprising, tension and excitement to a pictures overall composition. This is not to say that every photograph must involve the creative use of shutter speed, but if youre seeking just one area that will expand your creative vision, I strongly recommend looking for opportunities to exploit motion.

If there is one area that helps photographers regarding shutter speed, it would be this: When handholding your camera, make sure you use a fast enough speed to keep your image crystal-clear. If your shutter speed is too slow, no matter how incredibly fast and consistent your autofocus mechanism is, all that technology of your 57-point autofocus will go to waste.

The first picture shown on is my version of the same subject, albeit as a vertical composition. Why is my image sharper? I used a blazingly fast shutter speed of 1/1000 sec. with a wider aperture and a slightly higher ISO. The faster shutter speed not only increases the overall sharpness of the photograph but also freezes the splashing, cascading water.

Converting Your Smartphone into a Manual Camera

If youre using a smartphone camera but would like to explore the idea of using a DSLR, a number of apps will do just that: turn your smartphone into a manual camera. Being able to use shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds can come in handy when shooting night scenes and exploring various effects, although of course you will need to attach the smartphone to a tripod.

CANON 5D MARK II
CANON 70300MM LENS
F/16 FOR 1/30 SECOND
ISO 640
DAYLIGHT/SUNNY WB

NIKON D500
NIKKOR 18300MM LENS
F/6.3 FOR 1/1000 SECOND
ISO 800
DAYLIGHT/SUNNY WB

EXERCISE

Choose the Creatively Correct Shutter Speed

Shutter speed controls the amount of time that the volume of light coming through the lens is allowed to stay on the sensor. If you set the shutter speed to 500, this number represents a fraction: 1/500 sec. If you change the shutter speed to 250, this represents 1/250 sec., which (perhaps confusingly) is double the amount of time. Each time you increase from one shutter speed to the next, such as from 1/500 to 1/250 to 1/125 sec., the amount of time that light is exposed to the lens is doubled. Likewise, if you decrease your shutter speed, such as from 1/125 to 1/250 sec., the amount of time that light is exposed to the lens is halved. Each halving or doubling of light is referred to as a full stop. This is important to note, since many cameras offer one-third-stop shutter speed increments: 1/500 sec. , 1/400 sec. , 1/320 sec. , 1/250 sec. , 1/200 sec. , 1/160 sec. , 1/125 sec. , 1/100 sec. , 1/80 sec. , 1/60 sec. , and so on. (The bold numbers represent the original, basic stops while the others are the newer one-third options often now available.) These one-third-stop options reflect the camera industrys attempts to make it easier to achieve perfect exposuresfine-tuning, if you will. But as youll learn, its rare that youll want a perfectly fine-tuned exposure each and every time.

Here is a fun exercise to see just how influential shutter speed can be. Get a friend and go to the nearest outside wall, such as the side of your house, a nearby school building, or even a place with graffiti. With your camera in Manual Mode and your ISO set to 400, select a fast shutter speed, such as 1/1000 sec. Turn the aperture dial until you see that little black dot at or very close to zero. Ask your friend to jump in the air and take a picture when theyre totally off the ground. Now, set your shutter speed to 1/60 sec., again adjusting your aperture dial until that little black dot is at or very near zero. Have your friend jump again and fire away. What do you notice? Both exposures are identical in their exposure tonality, color, and brightness, but in the first one, your friends jump is recorded in exacting sharpness while in the other, your friend is a bit blurred. You just learned that with a super-fast shutter speed, such as a 1/1000 sec., you can