Basic Photo Tip: Exposure and shutter speed

Many of you have probably heard the term exposure before. But what is it exactly? It is the total amount of light that falls on the camera’s film or digital sensor while taking a photo. Too much light and the photo will be over-exposed, making the shot too bright with little detail because features will be washed out. Too little light and the photo will be too dark, making it difficult to make out the details.

A properly exposed shot will have a great range of light, allowing you to see detail in the shadows along with highlights in bright areas. A really good example of this is in wedding photography. The right exposure will let you see the details in the groom’s black tuxedo but also see the lines and patterns in the bride’s white wedding gown.


In the past, photographers usually had to draw upon their experience to determine what exposure to use. But thanks to advancements in technology, all modern cameras have light meter built in to eliminate the guess work.

Thanks to this tool, your camera will generally pick the right settings to properly expose your photo. But it’s not fool proof. See the lesson on exposure compensation for an explanation of how it works will help you pick the right exposure when your camera doesn’t.

But just because your camera can pick the right exposure doesn’t mean the photo will come out right. You also need to pay attention to your shutter speed. If it gets too slow, then you will risk moving the camera while taking the photo. This is normally called camera shake.

With a normal, non-telephoto lens, you need a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second to guarantee there won’t be any camera shake. That is why when a flash is needed, most cameras will set the flash intensity to be strong enough to get a photo at 1/60 of a second.

However, if you practice good technique while holding the camera, you can often get a sharp clear image free of camera shake all the way down to 1/30 of a second. Good technique means you stand with your feet spread comfortably apart, with two hands holding the camera, your elbows resting on your chest, and holding your breath. It may also help to lean your body against a wall or post.

If you use a tripod, however, you can go with long shutter speeds and not worry about camera shake. The tripod will keep the camera stationary, allowing you to get outstanding, clear photos even with exposure times reaching into several seconds.

But what about those times when you don’t have a tripod, or your subject is moving and long exposures won’t work? The lesson on aperture and ISO speeds has your answer.