sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

I would recommend that you read books by Brian Peterson- Understanding Exposure and his book on shutter speed. You need to understand exposure to understand shutter speed. His books are always highly recommended here.

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

Yes, the several books books on photography he has written are the most used in my library. They are easy to read and cover most every detail the beginning photographer would need to know to get started in this hobby.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

In your reference manual (not the simplistic and shorter user manual) on page 118, you'll see a page that describes P,S,A, and M exposure modes.

Here is a link to the online version of the manual.

https://cdn.billiger.com/dynimg/pgVrMNMWp-IVDG54QToVF_T6PDHYxjE-xfMsWnzov9NFr0tN1cbYMAL5SCyZ5NydNIT0LgKcJ3coWbUz0sk7TdwRDniqN0I4g/Nikon-D5600-AF-S-DX-18-140mm-ED-VR-Bedienungsanleitung-e04717.pdf

Two camera controls - the Mode control and the Command dial will be what you should be concentrating on.

The ones that you initially should be interested in will be S, which lets you adjust the shutter speed, and M which lets you select the aperture of the lens as well as the shutter speed. Page 121 describes S mode, and page 123 describes how to set the shutter speed AND aperture in M (manual) mode.

The process is to first set the camera to Auto ISO so there is one less thing to adjust. Then select the mode you want - I suggest you start with S, so that the camera will provide the correct aperture setting for average scenes. The camera will choose the correct ISO and aperture for average daytime scenes. You can always press the Info button to see your camera settings on the rear screen.

Once this starts to feel comfortable, you can try your hand at M mode. Here you pick your aperture and shutter speed based on what you are shooting. Select 500, 1000, or 1600 (1/500, 1/1000, or 1/1600 of a sec) for action stopping effects, or 30, 60, 125 (1/20, 1/69, 1/125) for more light when shooting in shade or indoors. The camera will select the correct ISO within limits (which you can set in the camera menu - I use 100 on the low end and 3200 on the high end - which on my camera lets me get decent-enough image quality, particularly at the high end). High ISO introduces noise, which looks like grain.

It's important to understand the relationship between shutter speed and motion, and how when you shorten the shutter speed you'll need to use higher ISO and/or larger apertures.

FYI - aperture numbers are stated as F-numbers - F2.8, F4, F5.6, F8, F11, F16, F22. each "larger" number lets in half as much light as the one before it. So F8 lets in half as much light as F5.6. If you have a good exposure setting using F8, and you open the lens to F5.6, in order to keep the same "exposure" you'll have to use a faster shutter speed - if you had been using 1/1000 at F8, you'd need to set the camera to 1/2000.

Auto ISO is a good tool but try to set the ISO yourself once you get comfortable.

The reasons why you'd use a faster shutter speed is to freeze action. Smaller apertures (F11, F16) will increase the foreground to background zone of focus which is often good for groups of people or landscape - larger apertures (F2.8, F4), will give you a shallower depth of focus, which is great to separate your subject from your background - paradoxically, a larger aperture can increase the sense of depth by showing the background as out of focus. There are may subtleties about these two very general statements and there are various ways to get comfortable with what works when.

Practicing with different settings on non-important subjects, or reading a manual, or watching a video are all good sources of tutorial material. Even better, join a local photo club where you will find more than a handful at your level of knowledge and experience, and seasoned pros, advanced enthusiasts and others that can help you. Many clubs have mentoring programs, and routinely conduct photo outings for photographers of various levels of experience.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Good answers have been given

Hans2675 Loc: Lancaster, Pennsylvania

I found this helpful when just starting out. It shows what shutter speed, aperture and ISO all effect in a photograph.

(Download)

khorinek

I don't shoot Nikon, so can't answer the first part. I shoot shutter priority 75% of the time. The shutter stops time. The less time you capture, (faster shutter speed) the less blur you will get. The camera captures what it sees. If you shutter is open too long, the camera will capture everything it sees in the amount of time it is open, causing blur if the subject is moving. I rarely shoot less than 1/200 second shutter speed and often times will shoot from 1/200 to 1/320 on my wide angle lenses. One more thing to keep in mind, as a rule of thumb, your shutter speed should not be less than your max zoom length of your lens. For example if your lens is a 24-70, your shutter speed should never be slower than 1/70 (1/80 actual). It will take some practice before it becomes second nature. Eventually you will know how fast to shoot your subjects from experience.

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

Grand Courses Plus has a series of on-line tutorials on photography. Free two week trial. Excellent on basics. Presented by National Geographic photographer. There is a half hour dedicated to shutter speed.

srt101fan

Gene51 has given you the definitive answer, including a link to the Reference Manual, a document you should most definitely get. It is much more detailed than the manual that comes with the camera, and, being a pdf document, it's searchable.

Once you understand everything Gene has told you're well on your way to learning to master your camera. Come back to the forum with specific questions you might have as you follow the path laid out by Gene.

Good luck and happy shooting!

Silverrails

You might go on UTube videos and Type in Nikon D5600 Shutter-Speed control.
Also, if you have your owners manual for the D5600, it will also be of assistance.
Also, most all UHH members are not "Jerks", we are here to learn from others that may have more experience. As a "Newbie" you are here to learn, and we that able to assist are usually more than happy to help with any subject we may be knowledgeable, be patient and ignore any that may offend you.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

In Auto, the camera decides, based on its programming, what would be the best aperture and shutter speed for a scene. It will choose something within the "normal" range whenever possible. In P - Program - Mode, you set either shutter or aperture, and the camera does the rest.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

M

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Look for the dial with PASM on it. P is for program where the camera makes all the choices but allows you to adjust some of the settings. A is for Aperture which determines how much light is let in. S is for shutter speed. Lastly, M is for Manual which lets you set all the controls. Hope this helps.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Nothing explains shutter speeds and it's relation to ISO and F-stop, better than Petersons book Understanding Exposure. Buy it. read it, study it

wetreed

At the risk of sounding like one of those people. Although the books are very useful, I always find utube a lot lot better. The command dail on the right top controls both the shutter speed and aperture. Depending on what mode you are in, you may have to use the button on the right side top with the comment dail.

twice_shooter

I may be alone here but I for one am put off by your self righteous attitude. You just fired off blanket insults without anyone first replying to your post. How could you know what replies you would get? You are doing the exact same thing as that which you wish to prevent. You seem vulnerable to offense but quick to offend others and that just rings hollow.