Chapter 5: Shutter Speed and Subject Motion

Like the aperture, the shutter speed’s primary job description is to control the light entering the camera. If you’re working in extremely low light — shooting in the loft of an old barn in Connecticut, as I was in 5-1, for example — you can use a very long shutter speed to record every dimly lit nuance in the setting. Or, in very brightly lit situations, like the Arizona desert at high noon, you can increase the shutter speed to keep too much light from getting into the camera and washing away all the important detail (see 5-2). Shutter speed is the gatekeeper at the door to your sensor, and he can hold the door open for as long as you like, or slam it shut in a flash.