Shutter speed is not as simple as you think. Most people think that shutter is there just to freeze the motion but there’s much more to it than that. You can use it artistically to enhance your photos. Shutter speed is a key point of storytelling as showing or freezing motion can make or break a picture.
Things like the reciprocal rule which was invented in the film era don’t necessarily apply anymore. Therefore, we have some new rules that help people use. So, let me explain if increasing Shutter Speed affects sharpness or not. To gain complete knowledge about ISO, read the whole post keenly.
Table of Contents
Does Increasing Shutter Speed Affect Sharpness?
Yes, both Decreasing, and Increasing the Shutter Speed affects the sharpness of the image because increasing the shutter speed means that the camera will capture quickly allowing less light to hit the image sensor and on the same hand decrease sharpness in the photos.
What is Shutter Speed
In short, shutter speed is the length of time in which the image sensor inside a camera is exposed to light rays. Faster shutters take photos quickly while slower shutters take time to allow more light. The shutter speed is measured in a fraction of a second like 1/4th or 1/100th.
Fast Shutter Speed
A fast shutter speed takes a photo very quickly and allows incoming light for very little amount of time. By using a fast shutter speed, a photographer can freeze a scene but at the cost of exposure. You can see one example in the picture below.
As the light hitting the image sensor is in very little amount, the photos are generally darker or less exposed. If the picture is under-exposed, it will create noise in the image and consequently, decrease sharpness and clarity in the image. If you have a better camera and skills, you can play with other manual settings, to overcome the exposure issue.
Slow Shutter Speed
Slow shutters allow more light to enter the camera and therefore, takes more time to capture a photo. When taking a picture with slower shutter speed, the shutter stays open for more time to allow maximum light to hit the image sensor.
As more light is allowed to hit the image sensor, the photos are over exposed and consequently, decreasing clarity and sharpness. Still, this also require high quality camera and advanced skills to take better photos.
Affects of Changing Shutter Speed
The effects of changing the shutter speed on a photo can be either better or worse. If you know to play with these things, you can take awesome pictures. Let discuss a few ways, how shutter speed affects the pictures.
- Motion
- Sharpness
- Exposure
Do You Need to Manually Adjust Shutter Speed?
Absolutely Not, if you are not a Pro! The affects on the pictures can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing with manual settings. If you know how to adjust the aperture and ISO while changing the shutter speed, then go for it but is you don’t know how to properly adjust all settings, my opinion is to leave it in auto mode.
Final Thoughts
At the end, I will repeat that Yes! Increasing shutter speed affects the sharpness of the image and that’s why, you should be very careful when changing the speed of the shutter. If you learn to use the camera basics trio (ISO, aperture, Shutter speed), you will no doubt, take your photography to a whole new level. So, keep practicing.
You can master Shutter Speed Here.
