Playing With Shutter Speed
If you have just got your first Digital SLR camera, you might have realised that there are many settings to chose from. Each is uniquely designed to produce different outcomes and different styles of photo.
If you are looking up special effect photos on your laptop, or you are on a phone network which provides internet services such as O2 or Three, then you may have seen some stunning photos which play around with the shutter speed. These include flowing water which is cleverly made to look smooth across the rocks, or the headlights of a car which seem to have been dragged across the photo. These are easy to achieve, providing you know which settings to use.
Smooth Water Effect – If you want to take a picture which shows smooth and wispy water, then you want to set your camera to shutter speed priority. A short and fast shutter speed does not let much light in, it is primarily used for bright settings or action-shot photos. A slow setting however, absorbs much more light, this is mainly used in darker situations, or for special effects. If it is a bright day and you wish to take a photo of a small river or a waterfall, firstly lower your ISO setting to 100 or as low as it can go. With a tripod, balance your camera in position and select Shutter Priority. Set the speed to minus 2 to begin with – this will hold the lens open for 2 seconds, giving a slight motion effect to the water. On the other hand, for a wispy and silky water effect, lower the speed to approximately minus 10 seconds.
Slow Shutter Night Photos – If you want a photo where the colorful headlights of cars are dragged across the image, then these photos must be done when it is very dark. Find a busy road and perch yourself on a nearby pavement. Fix your camera to the tripod and point your lens at the busiest point in the road. This time, turn up your ISO to about 400-500. To capture a small light-drag, set the shutter speed to minus 2 or 4. However, for a long light beam, set it slightly longer.