Photo How To

Last week we featured an interesting video from one of favorite wildlife and landscape photographers who insists that your camera's Aperture Priority mode is preferable to shooting in Manual for certain situations. We're following up on that today with a quick tutorial from Vanessa Joy who demonstrates how to use shutter speed to capture images with a variety of creative effects.

Joy is a long-time pro based in both Austin and NY with over two decades of experience. She's also a Canon Explorer of Light and a very popular educator. In the next seven minutes you'll gain a better understanding of the concept behind this important component of the Exposure Triangle and different ways to use this setting for attention-grabbing results.

The episode begins with Joy explaining why "shutter speed is one of the most powerful tools in your photography arsenal" and how interacts with the other two elements of the Exposure Triangle: namely Aperture and ISO. Other topics of conversation include an overview of when and why shutter speed matters and guidelines for making the best choice depending upon the specific task at hand.

Joy presents everything in simple terms that even beginners can grasp with ease. The basic premise is this: The strategy you use to photograph kids, for example, differs greatly from the best option for capturing fast action like sports, racing cars, and birds in flight. And of course, the best approach for landscapes, still-life photos, and other stationary subjects is also significantly different.

Another key consideration involves the concept of image stabilization. Here Joy carefully explains how this features works to boost your odds of success, as well as "what it doesn't do for you." It's also essential to understand exactly how the focal length of a lens affects your shutter speed choice.

Once all these basics are out of the way, Joy turns her attention to the creative aspects of fast shutter speeds for freezing action, the artistic implications of employing slow shutter speeds to capture captivating images of fast-moving subjects, and a simple trick for adding an appealing in-camera motion blur effect to your photos.

There's much more to learn on Joy's instructional YouTube channel, so be to pay a visit when you have time to explore.

And don't forget to watch the tutorial we mentioned at the onset with one of our favorite wildlife and landscape photographers who insists that your camera's Aperture Priority mode is preferable to shooting in Manual for certain situations and conditions.