How to Take Photography Portraits With the Shutter
Most cameras come with an automatic setting for taking pictures. This will automatically set the ISO, aperture and shutter speed of your camera based on the lighting conditions and depth of field. To manually manage your own camera’s settings to create even more beautiful and custom photographs, you will need to understand the shutter speed settings on your camera. Shutter speed is the length of time the shutter is open on your camera. A long shutter speed will let in a lot of light, and is used primarily in low-light situations. A shorter shutter speed will let in less light and is best for bright lighting and to keep fast-moving objects in focus. When you set your camera to shutter priority mode, you control the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the ISO and aperture automatically.
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Instructions
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Find a print or online manual of your camera. Each camera is a little different, so this will help you find the exact location of the buttons you will need to adjust shutter speed.
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Set your camera to shutter priority mode.
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Set the shutter speed. If you want the subject to completely freeze, choose a high shutter speed, like 1/1000. If you want to show the motion in the photograph, choose a slower shutter speed, like 1/125. You will need to follow the subject with a slower shutter speed or the entire photograph will blur.
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Frame the subject in the viewfinder.
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Hold the capture button halfway down to focus, then press fully when you are ready to capture the picture.
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Tips & Warnings
When first working with shutter speed, set your camera to shutter priority mode. This will automatically adjust the ISO and aperture for you while you learn more about your camera. Once you are comfortable adjusting all three settings, you can do them all manually. To avoid a totally blurry picture, use a tripod or monopod when you shoot with a low shutter speed.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images
