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Photography derives from the words writing with light and a photo depends upon exposure of a light sensitive material. In a traditional cameras case the light sensitive material is film or in the latest digital cameras its a charge coupled device or CCD. The amount of light reaching the film or CCD is known as the exposure and this is controlled by two items on a camera - the aperture and shutter speed. The aperture is a variable hole in front of the lens that adjusts to let more or less light through and the shutter speed is a cover over the film or CCD that controls the length of time that the light reaches the film.

As well as their practical needs both can be used creatively in photography and in this technique we will take a more detailed look at shutter speeds. The shutter speeds of cameras can go from long exposures of 30 or more seconds to fast speeds of anything as short as 1/8000sec.

All cameras from the most basic point-and-shoot single use camera to the latest highly sophisticated digital SLRs have shutter speeds. The very basic compact models may have a fixed speed and theres nothing you can do with these. More advanced 35mm compact cameras have adjustable shutter speeds, but the speed is controlled automatically and you have no override. And then we go into the more sophisticated cameras such as the digital cameras and SLRs. With this type of camera you still have the automated control but also an override of some form to allow more creative use of the shutter speed. And its here where we can start to have fun.

By adjusting the shutter speed you can control the movement of the subject. A fast shutter speed will freeze the subject and a slow shutter speed will make it look blurred as the subject moves. You can also combine flash with a slow speed to get movement and blur all in the same shot. Lets look at the techniques one by one.

If you have no control over automatic exposure you can do a couple of things to help obtain a slow shutter speed. One is to use the slowest film you can find. In print film this is ISO100 but you can safely override the speed to ISO25 to fool the camera into increasing the exposure by two stops. If you dont have film speed override you can buy stickers to put over the cassette before you load it. Slide film is available in speeds down to ISO50. Again you can override this and set ISO25, but you must tell the lab to adjust processing to compensate.

Anther alternative is to place a neutral density filter over the lens. This is a grey filter that reduces the light value and doesnt affect the colour of the picture. You can buy them in 2x, 4x, 8x and 64x values.

The third technique is same as our previous example, but used to remove the subject. Its employed by architectural photographers who want to photograph a building without people getting in the way. If the shutter speed is slow theyll record as a blurred and distracting object, but if its extremely long the blurred person walking across the path of the view will be so blurred it wont even be recognisable and wont affect the picture.


A long shutter speed can be set at night to record car headlights as trails. Choose a position on a suitable bridge over a busy road and tripod mount the camera. Then fire the shutter with a speed of between one and 15 seconds depending on the length of streak you require.
(read Night Photography)



Fast shutter speed in daylight
The alternative of selecting a slow shutter speed is to go for a fast shutter speed to do the exact opposite to stop your subject in its tracks. In this case you need to use a shutter speed faster than the speed of the moving subject, which varies depending on the direction too. If the subject is moving across the path at close range it will appear to be moving faster than a distant subject and a faster speed will be needed. And if its coming towards you, duck!
Using a subject freezing shutter speed is perfect if you want to stop a goal-scoring footballer in is tracks, freeze an athlete in mid air or an insect or bird in mid flight. Its less effective for cars or vehicles as it makes them look static.

Using flash to freeze the movement
Flash provides a burst of light in a split second that will freeze even the fastest subject in its tracks. Science and research photographers use this to study movement, by photographing subjects such as bullets penetrating their target and nature and medical photographers to study anatomical changes maybe a horses gallop, athletes jump or hummingbirds wing motion.

Prepare?!?! I'll bet you thought charging the battery was the hardest part of taking great photos, didn't you?

Sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to improve your photo results 50% in 2 minutes, let's review some basic advice of the pros.

There are two categories of GENERAL ADVICE which applies, regardless of whether you're using a digital camera to take family portrait poses, baby photo poses, pet photo poses, photo poses of groups, funny photos, or even maternity portraits. ( watch sample from my favorite Photographer for female photo poses from  Teresa Queiròs )

Good Planning Advice for Photography Poses

Prepare for the event by thinking about every photograph you want to take and what kind of photo poses you would like to capture. Consider who, where, how, and the type of environment.

2) Take Multiple Photographs

Take multiple shots of each photo pose (remember, digital memory is reusable, a.k.a. "free"). Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. And don't count on spotting small problems on the tiny camera LCD screen (even on full magnification); which leads to...

3) Check the LCD Screen

Check the digital camera's LCD screen for general framing of the picture, any movement, visibility of faces, and the histogram. Note that you can think up a fantastic photo pose; arrange everyone perfectly; and, have the photograph "frozen" (no blinking, and no shaking of the camera)...but, when you check it out in the LCD, you see 2 drunks fighting in the background! And, my favorite...

4) Funny Phrases

Have some funny phrases handy to use just before you take the photo. Don't use it when setting up for the shot. And, don't use the same phrase all the time. Throw in funny anecdotes, phrases, names, words that you know your family will find more amusing than "cheese." A natural smile looks four times better than a fake one.

Location Advice for Photography Poses

Taking indoor family photography, is very different than outdoor family photograph (duh!). For INDOOR pictures...

1) Wide Angle

You will tend to use the wide angle more often than your telephoto setting. Pay particular attention to your "end people" (those farthest to the right and the left in your viewfinder), and verify there is enough space in the picture, so that if cropping is required, the end people don't have to lose a limb.

2) The Flash

Flash considerations are critical. Do not be outside your "flash range." For example, if at ISO 100, your flash can properly illuminate 12 feet, don't attempt any photography pose that requires anyone to stand at 14 feet (unless, of course, it's evil cousin Ira who you want to appear in darkness).

3) Plan "B"

If you need to be further away than your flash allows, here are 2 things you can try...First, increase the ISO setting (but not so much as to produce to much noise), or second, move to a significantly brighter location.
4) Watch Your Background

If there are distracting features, change your settings to blur the background. The best photo pose in the world won't look right with a distracting background. And finally...

5) Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

If there are mirrors or reflective surfaces in the background and you can't find a different location, only take the picture in such a way that the flash is not perpendicular to the surface, but at an angle (unless you want a nice photo of your flash).

Outdoor family photography has completely different issues. For OUTDOOR photography...

6) The Sun

Avoid photographing in direct sunlight, or in mixed light and shade, especially faces. Optimal lighting results from a slightly overcast sky.

7) Shade

When photographing in shade, use fill-flash when necessary. And, really finally...

8) Beauty

If practical, take the picture at one of the beautiful natural settings near you. Imagine the result of a creative photography pose captured in a stunning environment. Can you say: Over the mantle!

A good starting point for your white balance setting would be Daylight/Sunny. This is to preserve any blue
colour in left in the sky. Using a warmer white balance setting such as Cloudy or Shade may kill the blues. If there is no blue left in the sky, my advice is to go warm, which is to choose either Cloudy or Shade, in order to maximise the intensity of the orange/yellow colour. (read about Low light photography)