Shutter speed and aperture are two key components of the exposure triangle. Even if you are familiar with their role in proper exposure, you might struggle with when you should prioritize one over the other for the scene you are photographing. What elements should you be considering?
Mark Denney shares his tips for choosing whether to prioritize the shutter speed or aperture when photographing a scene. Before he dives into how he makes the decision, he reviews both shutter speed and aperture in more detail with supporting images.
Denney reviews the basics of the effect shutter speed has on motion and how slower shutter speeds let more light into the camera, while faster shutter speeds let in less light. He follows by reviewing the similar principles for aperture, explaining how it affects the depth of field and how a lower aperture lets more light in compared to a higher aperture letting less light in.
With the basics defined, Denney reveals the two questions he asks himself for each of the scenes he captures to determine whether to prioritize shutter speed or aperture. He continues to walk us through his process with several sample images to help reinforce the concept.
I am always curious about photographers’ processes in the field and what they consider when choosing their own camera settings. I found Denney’s questions, which are part of his process in evaluating a scene, to be a nice, simple approach to help make these decisions in the field.
