# What shutter speed ( aperture) is best for this photos



## michal (Oct 8, 2003)

newbie here  :? 
DAY:
somoeone on a bike, traffic
moving objects (flag, flower in the wind etc.)
water
pets / people in motion
fan / aircraft 
photo out of the moving vechicle

NIGHT:
and object in low light level , exp. skyline at dusk , car headlights after dark.


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## Chase (Oct 8, 2003)

That is a question that depends on the situation and what you want to capture...

During the day, you have quite a bit of creative control based upon shutter speed. In the example of someone on a bicycle, do you want to stop time and have everything crystal clear with no blur? If so, you probably want around 1/800 or above. If instead, you'd like to capture the feeling of speed with a little bit of blurring, you may want to slow things down to 1/60th or even slower (depending on the effect you want). 

Remember that by changing the shutter speed, you'll also be adjusting the aperture to compensate for the change in light...which will change your depth of field. This is another area to keep in mind while selecting your shutter speed.

Although this topic isn't overly complicated, it is difficult to explain in a short post. I would suggest looking for some online photo tutorials by doing a google search. That may help with some of your questions, and we'll be happy to try to fill in any blanks or unanswered questions you may have!

Good luck and welcome to the forum!


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## michal (Oct 9, 2003)

thanks  :thumbsup:


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## dru (Oct 13, 2003)

ok michal - i'll bite for my first post

basically everything that chaseman said couldn't have been said better. but since i'am currently working on 2 of your areas (moving objects - bike, cars, motorcycles, etc., and low light shots - even 10pm city shots with the moon!) i'll put some input to help you. remember, these are basic techniques to help start your creative potential...

for moving objects -
as chase says, fast shutter speeds are needed to capture motion with less/no blur. however, the ability to use fast shutter speeds require 2 more important variables in addition to chaseman's aperture requirements - AVAILABLE LIGHT and FILM SPEED. 
if you are attempting to freeze a motorcycle speeding by you at a shutter speed of 1/250+ and shooting wide open (opening aperture to largest opening), this may not be possible without a relatively fast film (ISO400+) and a good amount of light (not at dusk). forcing this shot without fast film and available light will result in underexposure. if you're looking to freeze something moving, i suggest using faster film speeds and shooting with an amply amount of light (high noon?). remember tho, with faster film speeds, you will get more grain on the print (dunno if it applies to your taste).

try a search for "panning" for a fun technique (too long for this post).

for low light landscapes-
LET ME KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT and i'll help you from there. with a tripod, you can use any film speed depending on what creative effect you want.

if my suggestions for shooting moving objects seem like a foreign langauge to you, i suggest you learn more about basic photography like the effects of variable shutter speeds, aperture, film speeds, etc. instead of subject matter.

hope this somewhat helps!


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## Third Eye (Nov 24, 2003)

For the night ones

1) low light level----------use a tripod and long exposure time

2) dusk........................again...tripod and long exposure


3) Headlights after dark would be harder............if you just want the headlights then its easy..........but otherwise you'd have to expose longer and hope the car isnt moving. But then the lights would be over exposed...................Most of the pictures I take are at night, but if its a car or anything like that I expect it to be moving and work my pictures around that.  I'd post a picture........but the site I put my pics up on is down.... :roll:


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## Dr. Benn (Nov 26, 2003)

Third Eye said:
			
		

> For the night ones
> 
> 1) low light level----------use a tripod and long exposure time
> 
> 2) dusk........................again...tripod and long exposure


Okay, here's another example with a question. This is a problem I actually ran into recently. What would be the best way to take pictures in low light with plenty of motion going on where you *can't* have a long exposure?

I attended a concert recently and tried my hardest to get decent pictures with my digital camera (Canon PowerShot S200) but everything came out slightly motion-blurred. I had to work without a flash.

I checked the EXIF information on the pictures and saw that they used an exposure time of 1/10 second. What would be your recommendation for getting sharper images? I think I understand that I should try to speed up the exposure to prevent the blurring, but won't that make the image darker overall?

Thanks in advance.


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## Phodog (Nov 26, 2003)

Low light - lots of motion - at least 1600asa - I assume no flash. No tripod -press the button and hold your breath.


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## dru (Nov 27, 2003)

reply for Dr. Benn

use a "better" digital camera or an SLR system!   ok sorry, lame answer...
besides my canon SLR system, i own a canon s330. what i meant by "better" digital camera is one that enables you to set aperature/shutter speeds, ISO settings, etc. this way you can set these settings for the lighting of your subject or a creative effect you're after. unfortunately, your s200 (like my s330) doesn't allow you to manually set these things. so if you're trying to get crisp, low-light shots with your s200 of a slightly moving subject with only your hands, good luck.

here's some tips to try to help...

- if you have an ISO setting feature (like my s330), set it to the highest ISO speed (like 400+). i think you're camera might automatically do this or maybe not - find out. might have more grain...whatever...

- use support (better yet, a tripod!). but if no tripod or another means of support (wall, chair, lampost, ect.) is available, hold the camera with BOTH hands, keep your elbows tucked against your body, and sqeeze - not push! oh, and contrary to popular belief, holding your breath won't make that much of a difference to keeping your hands still.  try breathing normally and at the end of say, the third, normal rhythmic breath when you completely exhale, pause - then sqeeze the shutter release. (tip from trigger sqeeze moment training for snipers in the army)

hope this helps!


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## Karalee (Feb 22, 2004)

michal said:
			
		

> newbie here  :?
> DAY:
> somoeone on a bike, traffic
> moving objects (flag, flower in the wind etc.)
> ...



Panning is a great way to take motion shots without really blurring your subject. Get your subject in focus and follow the subject while taking your photo. The end result should leave the background with a motion look while your main subject still in focus.


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