SHUTTER SPEED

shutter speed and aperture go hand in hand.
large aperture number = slower shutter speed.
small aperture number = faster shutter speed.
shutter speed is the amount of time that the shutter is open exposing the film or, in a digital camera, sensor to the light creating the image you later see.
so there are three main things that one can do with varying shutter speed, long exposure, fast shutter and panning.

1. long exposure.
-long exposure is when the shutter is open for a long period of time and is used for night photography and painting with light.
-to do long exposure your camera MUST be on something stable. One cannot (!!!) hand hold a camera at a shutter speed longer than 1/60. so 1/10 or 2 seconds....your camera must be on a table or a tripod or a trashcan, anything!! (note if you put your camera on the floor or a table put them on a book on the table/floor or else the table/floor will be in focus and not the subject.)

2. fast shutter speed
-fast shutter is when the camera is open for less than 1/60 of a second. atleast thats how i count it.
-fast shutter speeds are usually used when you want to freeze an action. like for sports.
-examples of fast shutter speed (photos by Christine Markiewicz)



3. panning
-panning is done at 1/30 to 1/15. this is the only time when you do not need a tripod when using a slow shutter speed.
1.go somewhere where there are moving objects that have a straight or easily predictable path. (a road)
2. when an object (car) passes click the shutter and follow it until the shutter closes. you will hear two clicks. 1st is the shutter opening and 2nd is the shutter closing.
3. the resulting image will have the moving object in focus (since you followed it) and the backround in streaks.
TIPS!!!
1. do not have anything bright in the foreground. it gets blown out and distracts.
2. be parallel to the ground and the object.
3. dont raise or lower your camera when following the object. i prevent this by squatting and moving my torso instead of my arms. if your raise or lower the camera it will make it look like the object is climbing or descending a hill.

APERTURE!

The primary function of a camera lens is to capture light. This is achieved by two main components, shutter speed and aperture.  Aperture is the size of the opening of the camera lens and is expressed as F-stop (for example F2.8 or f/2.8). The larger the F-stop number (f/value) the smaller the opening on the lens is going to be and therefore less light will go through the lens (leading to a slower shutter speed). A larger f/value is ideal in situations with lots of light since the lens opening is smaller and less light goes through the lens. The smaller the f/vaule the larger the opening and the more light that will go through the lens (leading to a faster shutter speed). This is ideal in low light situations because the lens opening is larger.
RULE OF THUMB
-large f/value = small opening = less light coming in 
-small f/value = large opening = more light coming in

f-stop = f/6.3      shutter speed = 1/1000 sec.

 
f-stop = f/29      shutter speed = 1/40 sec.

look at the difference in the two photos. one might think that all i did was change the focus but all that i changed was the aperture. the first has a small f/value so the opening in the lens is larger and more light is coming in that is why the shutter speed is so fast. The second has a greater f-value therefore a smaller opening in the lens so less light is coming in and the shutter speed has to be longer.

NOTE!!! DO NOT SHOOT A PHOTO AT LESS THAN 1/60 sec. WITHOUT A TRIPOD OR SOMETHING TO KEEP THE CAMERA STILL. if one does then the photo will most likely come out blurry!! a person can NOT hold still for that long without moving.

Aperture and DOF
DOF = depth of field.
The DOF is the distance in which the objects seen are in focus.
There are times when one would desire a great DOF (where things close to the camera and far are in focus, aka landscape and one wants the greatest amount of things to be focused, crisp) There are also times when one would desire a shallow DOF (when one thing close up is in sharp focus but the back round is blurry and out of focus). By using aperture one can manipulate DOF.
RULE OF THUMB
-Small aperture (BIG f/value) = great DOF
-large aperture (SMALL f/value) = shallow DOF

f-stop = f/5  shutter speed = 1/1600

f-stop = f/11   shutter speed = 1/320 sec

f-stop = f/32   shutter speed = 1/30 sec (note the back flowers are not crisp in focus because i did not use a tripod…ALWAYS USE A TRIPOD when shooting under 1/60 sec)

look at the difference in the photos in the first only the one flower is in focus. In the second a little more is in focus and in the third the most is in focus (had i been using a tri-pod it would be completely in focus). The higher the f/value the more is in focus. again i did not change my focus just changed the f/value

RECAP!!
-large f/value = small opening = less light coming in + great DOF
allows one to use a slow shutter speed (allows one to depict motion) on a sunny day
-small f/value = large opening = more light coming in + shallow DOF
allows one to use a fast shutter speed and isolate the subject by blurring back round.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!!
put your camera on AV (aperture priority) and take a photo with multiple elements (something in front, middle and back) and change the f/value and take another do this from the lowest f-value to the highest. you might not see the difference on your camera but on the computer you will. so go out and experiment with your new knowledge of aperture!!