The speed of your shutter can grant so many different effects to your photo. A fast shutter speed (the shutter opens and closes in one click) can capture a moment in life. A slow shutter speed (the shutter opens, stays open, then closes) can capture life in motion.

I’m going to show a cheat sheet, and then some photos I have taken with different shutter speeds.

This photo was taken with a shutter speed set at 1/1000 – One one-thousandth of a second. It captures the landing and the wings outstretched with the edges up.

Shutter open for 1/1000 of a second

This photo was taken with a shutter speed of 25. It was open for 25 seconds allowing more light in, and capturing motion and movement.

Shutter open for 25 seconds

This was open for 8 seconds as I swirled a green laser light slightly

Shutter speed 8 seconds

When taking photos of the moon, not only do you have to set the shutter speed, you also have to adjust the the ISO and f-stop for a clearer image, but I will go into ISO and F-stop at a later date. This moon photo was taken at 1/1600 – one sixteen-hundredths of a second.

Shutter Speed – 1/1600