Recognise these common errors
when experimenting with shutter
speeds and apply quick fixesIdentify mistakes
and find solutions
1
Mid-range speeds The use of
‘neutral’ shutter speeds, such as
1/50 sec, will often not blur your image
much, but neither will they freeze
motion, creating an unintentional-looking
sharpness deficit.
Solution: either lengthen or shorten
the exposure to a more extreme setting
to create an intentional effect, or use a
mid-range shutter speed while moving the
camera to emphasise movement.4
Losing movement even with a
longer exposure, it is possible to
discover that motion is not being effectively
rendered in the scene, although it may not
be immediately evident why it is occurring.
Solution: it is likely you are not close
enough to the subject or that you have
framed too widely. use a longer lens and
move closer to foreground detail, so motion
plays out across more of the frame area.2
Lens choice The standard practice
for shooting handheld is to match
focal length with shutter speed. even when
intentionally blurring an image it is possible
to render the wrong areas unsharp.
Solution: Turn on the panning or macro
mode image stabilisation system, if
your lens has these, to compensate for
rotational hand movements more often
seen at higher magnifications.5
Lack of subject As with any special
effect, it is an easy mistake to make the
technique the subject of the image. These
images can often lack real impact and depth,
as there is no identifiable point of focus.
Solution: Find a subject first, then
experiment with showing it in a new way by
working in your shutter speed technique.
This avoids clichés and ensures sufficient
compositional substance.3
Excessive exposure duration
Although a longer shutter speed will
convey movement, increasing this too much
can overly blur moving objects and remove
too much detail, thereby reducing impact.
Solution: Don’t use an nD filter stronger
than 0.9. This will shorten the exposure
while still conveying motion. Alternatively
adjust composition so detail-reduced areas,
such as water, make up less frame area.© Richard Beech
Techniques