How to Use Shutter Priority Mode in Photography

In photography, a priority mode is a semi-automatic mode allowing you to have manual control of a certain camera function while the camera automatically controls other functions. When your camera is set to shutter priority mode, you control the shutter speed and your camera adjusts other settings, such as aperture and ISO, accordingly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Find the shutter priority mode on your camera. It's usually labeled as either an "S" or "Tv."
2. Understand the number your camera uses for shutter speed. Shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second. For example, a shutter speed of 1/100 means the shutter will stay open for 1/100th of a second.
3. Use shutter priority mode when you want to take a picture of a moving object. The shutter speed setting controls how long the camera's shutter is open and therefore how much motion the camera captures.
4. Stop the motion of a fast-moving object with shutter priority mode. For an object moving very fast, such as a race car, try a shutter speed of 1/2000. The camera then detects how much light is available and adjusts all other settings appropriately.
5. Create motion blur. Use a lower shutter speed to cause a moving object to have streaks indicating motion in the picture. The speed needed for this depends on how fast the object is moving. For a race car, a shutter speed of 1/100 will show motion blur, but for a slower moving object, you may need a shutter speed as slow as 1/10.
6. Take the same picture with different settings. When shooting in shutter priority mode it's easy to quickly change the shutter speed, so take multiple pictures of the same subject at different shutter speeds. This ensures you get one good picture and helps you learn the best shutter speed to use in a certain situation.
7. Consider the impact shutter speed has on the depth of the field. When shooting in shutter priority mode, remember a fast shutter speed narrows the depth of the field. This means the area in focus around the subject will be smaller.

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