Day Three

Shutter Speed

Freezing Motion, Showing Movement, and Controlling Light**

Shutter speed sounds technical, but it’s actually the easiest part of exposure to understand.

Shutter speed is simply:

how long your camera’s “eye” stays open.

Fast = blink
Slow = stare

And just like with a real eye, the longer it stays open, the more light it takes in — and the more movement it sees.

Today you learn how shutter speed affects two things:

1. Brightness
2. Motion (sharp vs blurry)

Shutter Speed in Real Life Terms

Shutter speed is shown as a number like:

1/4000
1/1000
1/250
1/60
1/30
1/4
1 second
2 seconds

They behave like this:

Fast shutter = freezes motion + lets in less light

(Example: 1/1000 or 1/500)

Like blinking quickly — barely anything gets through.

Slow shutter = shows motion + lets in more light

(Example: 1/30, 1/4, 1 second)

Like keeping your eyes open longer.

You already know this intuitively.
If you stare at something while walking, it streaks.
If you blink fast, everything stays sharp.

Shutter speed works the same way.

What Shutter Speed Does to Your Photo

Brightness

Fast speed → darker
Slow speed → brighter
Because fast = less time open, slow = more time open.

Motion

Fast speed freezes:
• kids running
• dogs moving
• waves splashing
• someone turning their head
• your own shaky hands

Slow speed shows movement:
• flowing water
• passing cars
• intentional blur
• nighttime scenes
• the glow of city lights

Shutter speed shapes the energy in your photo — calm or lively, still or moving.

Where You Find It on Your Camera

In Aperture Priority (A/Av) your camera chooses shutter speed for you.
But you can still see it changing on your screen.

Look for a number like:

1/200
1/60
1/20
1”

You’re not controlling it today — you’re learning to notice what it’s doing.

(Not until Week Three will you take control of shutter speed directly.)

Where You Find It on an iPhone

iPhones don’t give direct shutter control in the regular camera app, but:

Live Photo → Long Exposure
simulates a slower shutter by blending frames.

To try it:

  1. Turn on Live Photo

  2. Take the shot

  3. Open the photo → tap “Live” → choose “Long Exposure”

It creates motion blur — waterfalls, moving cars, etc.

Again, this is about awareness, not perfect replication.

Today’s Practice: The Motion Test

Choose a subject that moves slightly.
Nothing dramatic — small movement is enough.

Examples:
• your hand slowly waving
• water pouring from a tap
• your pet shifting position
• leaves moving in the wind
• your own walking feet

Take two sets of photos:

Fast Shutter (camera chooses it automatically)

Stand in good light — your camera will naturally choose a faster shutter like 1/250 or faster.

Take 3–5 photos.

Movement should look frozen.

Slow Shutter (camera chooses it automatically)

Go to a dimmer spot — a hallway, shaded area, or room away from windows.
Your camera will choose something slower like 1/30 or below.

Take 3–5 photos.

Movement should start to blur.

For iPhone Users

Use Live Photo → Long Exposure mode in the second set.

How to Make This Easy

You are not changing shutter speed manually today.
You’re simply observing what your camera naturally does in bright vs. dim spaces.

This is how you learn without overwhelm.

Does time of day matter?

Not for this lesson.
Bright spaces naturally create faster shutter speeds.
Dim spaces naturally create slower ones.

You can do this at any hour — you’re working with the light you have.

Why This Matters

Shutter speed controls the feel of a photo:

Fast = stillness
Slow = motion

And brightness shifts with it.

When you understand this, blurry photos stop being a mystery.
You know exactly why they happened — and soon, you’ll know exactly how to fix them.

Tomorrow, you’ll learn ISO — the final piece of the exposure trio, and the one that gives you freedom in low light.

Just tell me when you're ready for Day Four.

A Quiet Story

ISO is the ability to receive more light
when the world feels dim.

Raising ISO lets you work with the light you have,
instead of waiting for perfect conditions.

Life is the same.
Sometimes you don’t have the perfect light,
the perfect mood,
the perfect day.

But you can still show up.

ISO teaches resilience,
not perfection.

The photo may get a little grainy,
but grain is character, not a flaw.

So is yours.

PAUSE

Let yourself adjust, just like ISO does.

NOTICE

Where did you find yourself needing “more light” today?

CAPTURE

Photograph three low-light moments deliberately:

• inside a drawer
• the corner of a room at night
• under a table
• inside your car
• a hallway glow

Raise ISO (or brighten on the iPhone).
Let the grain be part of the story.

REFLECT

• Did the grain make the moment feel more honest or more imperfect?

Reflective Question:
Where are you learning to work with the light you have, instead of waiting for perfect conditions?