Comments on: Shutter Speed

By: That Wife » Blog Archive » Navigating Your New dSLR

That Wife » Blog Archive » Navigating Your New dSLR — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:18:39 +0000

[...] to understand before you can ever have complete control over the pictures you take are aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You will never be able to take good pictures until you understand these three things. [...]

By: Kristin (Quiche)

Kristin (Quiche) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:39:18 +0000

re-reading all of your previous photography posts. I want to get started with all of these tips, but man, it seems so intimidating!!

By: Donalee

Donalee — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:51:10 +0000

Kelli Nicole referred me to your website and I’m finding your tutorials to be INCREDIBLY helpful! Thank you so much!
My husband and I had a “discussion” about how to do the ribbon of light photo. I’m glad someone else asked about it and you explained ’cause now I win. haha Except that I was leaving out the “flash man”. But my husband doesn’t need to know. We also experimented with that same idea last summer, using sparklers instead of a flashlight. Lots of fun!
Keep up the good work here and THANKS again!

By: keshia

keshia — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:44:00 +0000

I want to learn it all but have such a hard time grasping what I need to do and when. You do an amazing job explaining things though and I have spent several days reading through your tutorials. I have the hardest time with shutter indoors it seems. If my camera is set on TV I just can’t get a decent shutter speed to get rid of the blur. It’s just darkness. Set on P it’s a little better but I’m so frustrated! I hope you continue to post more:)

By: Jenna

Jenna — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:59:54 +0000

Well, if you are talking about effects like the first two pictures in the post (the couple standing in front of the subway and the bride walking) those are done using movement.

In the case of the train, all you have to do is slow down your shutter speed and have the couple in front of the train stand very still. Because they are still and the train is moving, you will have one thing in focus and the other thing blurry.

The bride picture can be achieved using a technique called panning. You would turn down your shutter speed just a little bit, and move your camera in the same direction as the bride as she moves very quickly. This will make all of the things that are still be blurry, and since your camera is moving with the bride she will stay in focus. You can actually practice this technique yourself while riding in a car or a train. When you are moving very quickly, move your camera in the same direction that you are moving (very quickly) and take a picture at the same time and see what happens!

If you are talking about having one thing in focus in your picture and the rest of it blurry, that has to do with the aperture, which is what I wrote the next post in this series on.

By: Helena

Helena — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:05:05 +0000

Wow, you are such a great teacher, Jenna. I’m a total newb (meaning, I don’t really even touch a camera – and I still feel like I’m learning so much!) So, how do you make the background blurry and the person in the foreground still? I still don’t get it.

By: Ruby Slippers

Ruby Slippers — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:06:08 +0000

Thanks so much! I sooo want to try a ribbon of light shot oneday!

By: Jenna

Jenna — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:25:17 +0000

Kelli Nicole just explained the process of creating that ribbons of light photo to me yesterday. It works best if you have three people. Camera man, flashlight man, and flash man.

The camera is set for a very very long shutter speed, sitting on a tripod. The button is depressed and the shutter opens. The flashlight man runs around the couple waving the flashlight around. After he is out of the frame flash man sets the flash off (this is what illuminates the couple). And then the shutter closes.

The picture is taken in complete darkness, and this is what keeps the person holding the flashlight from ever being illuminated. As long as he points the flashlight away from his body at all times, the camera never “sees” him.

As far as the Kelly Moore shot,t his effect is achieved by “panning” the camera along with the moving subject. Focus on the face and move the camera along with the subject. (She may have done this in Photoshop by blurring the image, but it is possible to also achieve the effect in camera by panning)

By: Ruby Slippers

Ruby Slippers — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:15:37 +0000

I have a question about the trails of light one. I’ve been wondering this for ages! Now I know presumably they’re made by someone running around with a sparkler/flasshlight/whatever, but how is it that that person doesn’t end up in the shot as a blurry ghost??

Oh and another one – how did Kelly Moore make the background blurry and the bride still? I should know this but I don’t…

By: Shell

Shell — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:24:09 +0000

I have really enjoyed these, but thanks so much for posting those numbers on freezing action and capturing motion!! Experimenting is good, but those give me ideas on what works. Thanks!

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:46:02 +0000

You are wonderful (and beautiful)…I just love the tutorials and FINALLY it is making sense to me!