Shutter Speed in Landscape Photography

Shutter speed, along with aperture and ISO, are camera settings which play a crucial role in nature and landscape photography.  In photography, shutter speed and exposure time are both the length of time that the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light.  When the shutter is open, it allows light to hit the sensor. It is that light that records the image.

Shutter speed plays a critical role in capturing a properly exposed photograph. Moreover, it is a pivotal tool for creativity in photography. Slow shutter speeds, or long exposures, suggest a sense of motion.  A waterfall with soft, silky water cascading through the image is a prime example of using long exposure in photography.  Often, photographers will use photography filters so they can achieve the desired shutter speed for the flow of the water.  Another example is using long exposures is to capture the stars and milky way for night photography and astrophotography.

Similarly, fast shutter speeds can cause movement to appear frozen in time.  Photographers use fast shutter speeds for visual effects as well. One example is capturing waves crashing into rocks along a shoreline or boiling mud pots or geyser exploding into the air.  Another example is freezing motion in wildlife photography to capture animal movement in a sharp photograph.

No matter the camera setting chosen to freeze a moving subject or capture the blur of movement, a photographer’s options to play with motion in landscape photography are endless. Our archive of articles will quickly get you up to speed on all the different techniques and times to use shutter speed in landscape photography.