Discover the power of shutter speed in capturing motion! In this Assignment, you’ll experiment with different shutter speeds to understand how they freeze or blur action. Grab your camera and join the adventure!

Instructions: Photograph 6 images, each one demonstrating your subject in movement using one of the 6 following shutter speeds: 1/15 sec., 1/30 sec., 1/60 sec., 1/125 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/500 sec.

You can use a Pinwheel like in the examples below, or find a different form of motion, as long as the speed of motion is constant, you’ll be alright. — Work in groups of two – take turns operating the camera and spinning.

PhotoClassOne
The Pinwheel is moving at a constant speed in each of the photos above. As we increase the shutter speed, the motion-blur decreases and at 1/500th of a second, it finally ‘freezes’.

This is a technical assignment, be sure to follow each step.

  • Remember to “Compensate” the ISO to achieve a correct exposure for each shot. Each photograph should have an equal brightness value. — Compensating the ISO means adjusting it to maintain consistent exposure when altering shutter speeds. For instance, doubling the shutter speed requires doubling the ISO to keep the exposure constant. Conversely, halving the shutter speed necessitates halving the ISO.
  • Caption each photo with the shutter speed used (use the file-name as your caption). e.g. “name-exposure-1-15.dng”
  • Export your images to your computers and into Lightroom
  • Submit your 6 image files as JPGs

TIPS

– Use a constant speed when setting up your pinwheels

– Remember, when you double the shutter speed, you reduce the amount of light by half — therefore, you should also double the ISO with each exposure

– If your initial exposure is too bight, go ahead and start at a faster speed and double your increments from that point