Photography Tips - Shutter Speed

Now that you understand what shutter speed is and how to measure shutter speed, you need to learn how to set shutter speed. Each camera varies slightly on how to set shutter speed. This lesson will guide you through the basics of setting shutter speed.

How to set shutter speed is a common question among new photographers. The process is actually very simple. Shutter speed is set on cameras by turning a specified dial on the camera body.

In older, fully manual cameras, this is a dial on the top of the camera body that is marked with numbers ranging from 1 to about 5000. In newer cameras the shutter speed is generally displayed on an LCD screen while the photographer turns a small wheel near the shutter release button to adjust the speed.

The exact placement of the wheel will vary from camera to camera. On point and shoot cameras, there may not be a control to select specific shutter speeds. Instead, you may need to understand your camera's pre-programmed modes to obtain the desired shutter speed. Many SLR cameras also have these pre-programmed modes as well as a few additional modes of fine control.