Shutter Speed Concept

Shutter Speed is defined as the moment of opening the camera shutter. This means Shutter Speed is the time of camera sensor contact to the light from the object to be photographed.

Shutter is a part of camera to shut light way to the camera sensor or celluloid film. In camera equipped with viewfinder without live-view, shutter is closed in default position until shutter button is pressed when take photograph. In camera equipped with live-view, shutter default position is opened or just a peeping point opened to let light enter to sensor. The sketch of shutter position in the camera as follow:
 

Using the Shutter Speed Concept on the camera applications as one of photographic triangle:

• Shutter speed setting to 500 is mean the camera sensor contact to the light from the object to be photographed only a five hundredth second (or exposure time 1/500 second). If you set the shutter speed to 30 seconds, it means exposure time of the camera sensor is 30 seconds.
• Shutter speed setting in the camera usually multiplied by 2, so we usually see the sequence as 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, and so on. Some cameras have 1/3 stop setting to get shutter speed setting closer. We can see the sequence as 1/500, 1/400, 1/320, 1/250, 1/200, 1/160, etc.
• We should apply correct shutter speed to get sharp and clear photos. The save shutter speed usually 1/60 or faster. To void blur or out of focus photos sometimes we should use tripod or Image Stabilization feature of the camera.

  

• Another save shutter speed definition is shutter speed should me more than vocal length. If we use 50mm lens, the shutter speed should be 1/60 second at minimum of setting. If we use 17mm lens, minimum shutter speed is 1/30 second.

• Shutter speed for freezing movement should use shutter speed as fast as possible. Faster movement needs faster shutter speed to freeze the movement. Shooting the flying bird, for example, uses shutter speed at 1/1000 second and Shutter Priority mode. ISO ideally sets to auto option to get sharp picture. Sport photographers usually use the Shutter Priority (S/Tv) mode.
• Shutter speed to show movement effect. When we take picture of dynamic objects, we can slow shutter speed to show the movement effect. We should anchorage our picture to the static object. See the picture below:

Picture source: en.wikipedia.org