terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

Funny? How?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

When someone asks a "How do you ..." question on a forum it is directed at all members/readers in general, not an individual. Otherwise one would ask that person.

He wants to know how all of you do something.

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Was actually deadly serious ... which acoarst is when Im at my very most funnyest. So you ought to take it a lot more seriously.

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Funny ha ha.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I'm remembering something to do with salt...

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You put it on the walkway when theres sleet ?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Exactly.

When things are tight (which typically means anything other than a bright day - yes, I know there are exceptions):-

Too high a shutter speed = Too high an ISO.

Too small an aperture = Too high an ISO.

Know your minimum shutter speed and f-stop requirements. And if you're at those limits and over-exposing, lower the exposure by bumping up the shutter speed. And remember that too much DOF isn't that big a deal but too little DOF can be a shot killer. It doesn't need to get any more complicated than that.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

With all due respect, I am assuming you are not familiar with the basics of photography. A fast shutter speed freezes action while a slow shutter speed will blur that action. Both can be used creatively.
As has already been mentioned, the shutter speed to be used depends on the subject. If there is no wind and you are going to photograph a landscape you can get by with a slow shutter speed. If action is taking place you can go both way, a fast shutter speed will freeze the action and a slow shutter speed will blur it, many times demonstrating motion. It is the photographer's choice. Many photographers use panning with a slow shutter speed while moving the camera. The background will be blurred and it will also partially blur the subject that is moving.

There is no advantage of one over the other, as a photographer you use shutter speeds creatively. Another thing, shutter speeds when using flash control ambient light while aperture controls the exposure of the main subject.
I am sure you will find plenty of information on how to use shutter speeds online.

Robertl594 Loc: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Nantucket

I fail to comprehend what motivates some responses to legitimate questions by people who are trying to learn from people who are supposed to have knowledge here. What is this forum for?

There is no reason for nasty replies. If you cannot be constructive and pleasant, just don’t answer. I look at this forum as one of my daily to-dos as I enjoy the exposure to new topics, knowledge resource and participating in all things photographic. What I don’t like is the attitude of certain people who think they are above others and have the right to be condescending and nasty.

Let’s play nicely. If you can’t, just be quiet. Think about what you are saying and how you are saying it. You may know a lot, but it certainly does not give you the right to be unfriendly and rude.

Apologies to the OP for the tone and tenor of your reply.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Nah, closer to taken with a grain of...

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Depends on your subject.
I photograph birds in flight. To get their wing tips frozen I try to shoot at 1/4000 sec.
For football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, my main shutter speed is at least 1/2000 sec.
I can also selectively blur images by PANNING with my subject. You need to practice this to be proficient. For instance, when a runner runs past you, keep your camera MOVING as you take the image, try various shutter speeds from say 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60 sec. and see which you like. You can try this on most subjects, I know some pros that like to use these slow shutter speeds on birds in flight, makes an interesting image.
But, as it appears you are just starting out on your photo journey, you should heavily experiment using various shutter speeds on moving objects.
If I am shooting landscapes, I like to shoot foreground/background images, so I need a small opening, say, f8 to f16 depending on what I am shooting. If I am hand holding, I use an old rule, my shutter speed is equal to at the minimum the focal length of the lens. For example, if I am shooting a 100mm lens, then my minimum shutter speed would be 1/100 sec. if it's a 500mm lens, then my minimum would be 1/500 sec.
Bottom line, many times your choice becomes what you like. SO, you need to experiment a lot with your camera to see what you like. With digital, experimenting is quick and easy. Back in the film days, I used to have to wait until my film was developed before I could see the results. Now you can see it right away.
So, get out there and shoot shoot shoot and shoot some more.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

BebuLamar

Quoting you "Assuming the subject/scene isn't change quickly". If so a very slow shutter speed on tripod could show some motion blurr but that not really something one would want. Unlike the motion blur of rapid water flow so there is no advantage in showing the motion blurr. If the camera is handheld then there is the blur caused by camera shake. I can't think of a situation where this is desirable. So the shutter speed would be set at a handholdable speed which the rules of thumb said 1/ focal length for a full frame camera. I generally go 1 stop faster as I can't hold the camera very steady when there is sufficient light to do so.

Robertl594 Loc: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Nantucket

Shutter speed is one of the exposure triangle adjustments. It controls motion. Use a faster shutter speed to stop motion and a slower one to allow motion blur. There are many factors that help you determine which shutter speed is best for your particular image.

I focus on what I am trying to accomplish when determining my exposure settings.
1. Depth of field (primary for me typically). I like to determine how much of my image is in focus. I set that first, I balance that with my shutter speed. When I do not want motion blur, I set a speed high enough to keep my images sharp. The way you balance that is with your ISO sensitivity setting. ISO is the sensor’s sensitivity to light. The higher the number, the faster it captures light. You can increase your ISO to be able to increase your shutter speed to freeze the motion in your photo.

Be aware of a couple of things.
1. Increasing ISO does increase the amount of noise, so try to keep your ISO as low as you can to capture your desired image. Cameras today are much better at noise than they used to be, and there is software available to today that is very effective at denoising photos, so it it becoming less important to keep ISO as low as possible.

2. The more megapixels you have, the higher the shutter speed! More pixels show movement from camera shake etc. so if you have a high resolution camera, keep your shutter speed higher to eliminate motion blur.

3. The exposure triangle is a 1 for 1 adjustment. Meaning that when you change your f stop by 1 stop, your shutter speed is a one stop adjustment as well. Same with all three controls. Conscience to remember here. Change any of your exposure adjustments by one stop, one of the other ones needs to be adjusted by 1 stop in the opposite direction. It’s simple.

4. Use of a tripod is always helpful for lower shutter speeds. Even with stabilization, I do not try to hand hold my camera for shutter speeds of less than 1/15 or even 1/30. But I am very particular. I don’t want to be thinking, that would have been a great shot if it was in focus. Don’t be afraid to use your ISO when you need to. If you don’t have a tripod, hold your camera firmly against something stable like a post or a countertop, something that does not move.

Hope this is helpful.
RL
You did not mention which camera you are using. That would be helpful for us to know.

Mainridge Loc: NW Mich, SW Fla

Thanks for the good question. I learned a lot from the responses.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

With any focal plane shutter any ANY camera, except a Leica; the choice is the faster shutter speed, period.

Most image degradation is due to that first curtain slamming into the stop and creating vibration. And every camera maker is vary aware of this problem, yet they do nothing to correct the problem, except the makers of Leica cameras.

Back in 1932, E. Leitz, maker of the famed Leica camera, saw the problem and introduced a fall out bearing design (this is the soft sound of rolling bearings that the Leica camera makes as the shutter is released) so that the first curtain does not stop abruptly, but is allowed to slow and elevates the potential energy of the shutter. This eliminates most of the shutter vibrations effect of image clarity.

This is where the fame of a Leica being able to produce sharper images at any speeds but especially at lower speeds. It really is not that mirror slamming up just prior to an exposure, though that too helps to degrade sharpness in an image.