Page 48 - Learning How to Photograph with your DSLR Camera 2nd Edition Jan 2021

Lesson 9: Shutter Priority Mode: Control the

Action

The shutter priority mode allows you to create photographs with very long and very
short exposures. Like aperture priority, you can be quite creative. Here, I will cover the
basics of shutter priority as we progress in this series.

What is Shutter Priority?

You will see this on your command dial, or LCD screen usually as S (Nikon and most
other cameras), or Tv (time value, Canon).

Changing the dial or menu to this setting will allow you to change the shutter speed
while the camera controls the aperture suitable for a good exposure. This is similar to
aperture mode, where the camera controls the shutter speed for proper exposure.
Using shutter priority allows you to adjust how long the shutter stays open for an
exposure. Remember, the shutter is covering the sensor until you press the shutter
release button manually or by remote/cable.

Stops

I covered stops in Aperture Priority, indicating that each change in 1 stop, halved or
doubled the light. In the shutter priority mode, you are also doubling or halving the light
with each 1 Stop change of your shutter speed. Like aperture priority, there is a scale to
shutter speed.

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