What is shutter speed?

In photography, shutter speed, also known as exposure time, refers to how long the camera’s film or digital sensor is exposed to light while taking a picture. This happens when the camera’s shutter is open. The longer the exposure time, the more light hits the film or sensor. For example, an exposure time of 1/500 of a second allows in half as much light as an exposure time of 1/250 of a second.

Fast vs slow shutter speed

Slow ——————————–Fast

Important Photographers

Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge (April 9, 1830 – May 8) was a British photographer recognized for his ground-breaking contributions to the study of motion through photography, as well as his early discoveries in motion-picture projection. Muybridge is mostly famous for his work in chronophotography, which he did between 1878 and 1886. He used several cameras to take pictures of animals in motion, showing the different stages of their strides. He also created the zoopraxiscope, a machine that projected painted moving images from glass discs, which came before the flexible film strips used in movies. From 1883 to 1886, he had a super productive time at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he took over 100,000 images of both animals and people moving, sometimes capturing moments that were too quick for the human eye to see as separate.

Example of his work

Harold Edgerton

Harold Eugene “Doc” Edgerton (April 6, 1903 – January 4, 1990), often called Papa Flash, was an American scientist and researcher who taught electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is well-known for changing the stroboscope from a little-known lab tool into a widely used device. Additionally, he played a significant role in creating sonar technology and deep-sea photography. His inventions were used alongside Jacques Cousteau in efforts to find shipwrecks and even the legendary Loch Ness Monster.

Example of his work

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Sugimoto, born on February 23, 1948, is a renowned photographer and architect from Japan. He is the head of an architectural firm called New Material Research Laboratory, which is located in Tokyo. Sugimoto describes his art as a way to show ‘time exposed,’ meaning his photographs act like a time capsule that captures various moments. His work highlights the fleeting nature of life and the struggle between existence and mortality. Additionally, Sugimoto draws significant inspiration from Marcel Duchamp’s writings and the broader Dadaist and Surrealist movements. He has also shown a strong fascination with modern architecture from the late 20th century.

Example of his work

Francesca Woodman 

Francesca Stern Woodman (April 3, 1958 – January 19, 1981) was a talented American photographer famous for her striking black and white images that often included herself or other female models. A lot of her photos depict women, either nude or dressed, appearing blurred because of movement and long exposure times. This creates a unique effect where they seem to blend into their environments, and sometimes their faces are hidden. Even years after her tragic passing at just 22 in 1981, her work still receives a lot of praise and attention from critics.

Example of her work

Example I’ve made of how shutter speed effects exposure.

These 4 photos show the difference between different shutter speeds.

My long exposure photos

My best long exposure photos

F/22. 1/3 sec. ISO-100.

F/36. 1 sec. ISO-100.

F/22. 1 sec. ISO-100.

The photos shown above are some of the best photos I took using a long shutter speed. To create this I used a tripod to keep everything in focus and then used a long shutter speed.

Black and white edited

Editing my images to black and white means that the photos follow the style of Francesca Woodman more closely.

Overall thoughts and evaluation

I believe this photoshoot went really well. The motion blur in my final pictures looks awesome, and the extra editing, like the black and white effect, made my images even better. I feel like I realistically replicated Woodman’s photos with my own twist on the photos, being the cars instead of people.

The aperture is measured in f/stop which controls the amount of light that is let through the camera by changing the size of the lens. For example a low aperture, like f/2 would let a lot of light into the lens and give a shallow depth of field. Where as a high f/stop, like f/22 would let very little light into the camera and have a very deep depth of field.

What is Depth of Field ?

Depth of field, in its most basic definition, refers to the extent of an image that remains in focus. More technically, it can be described as the range within a photograph where objects are perceived as being “satisfactorily in focus” or exhibit a degree of “acceptable sharpness.” Depth of field can also be controlled by aperture.

Some of my photos:

Photo taken at f/2.8

At this aperture the subject (the plane) is completely in focus, whereas everything else is out of focus, this is good for portraits as it draws the views eye to the subject.

Photo taken at f/8

At this aperture the subject (the plane) is still completely in focus, however the background and foreground is mostly out of focus but not all of it which draws the views eye less to the plane and more so to other sections of the photo. This aperture provides a friendly depth of field, which helps photographers capture subjects with acceptable sharpness both closer to the camera and farther away.

Photo taken at f/22

At this aperture there isn’t a specific subject as the entire photo is in focus, this is good for wide shots of groups of people or large landscapes as it captures all the detail and doesn’t leave anything out.

Auto Vs Manual Focus

Autofocus is great for everyday photography, while manual focus is better for capturing close-ups and intricate details. However you have to use the focus ring at the end of the lens and make adjustments for each shot.

Focal Length

The focal length of a lens is the distance (typically measured in millimetres) from the centre of the lens to its focus point. This distance plays a key role in what you observe when taking pictures with a camera.

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Meatyard was born in Normal, Illinois, and grew up in the adjacent town of Bloomington. Upon reaching the age of 18 during World War II, he enlisted in the United States Navy; however, he did not see service abroad before the conclusion of the war. Following his military service, he enrolled at Williams College through the GI Bill, where he initially pursued pre-dentistry studies before ultimately training to become an optician.

Although Lexington was not a prominent hub for photography, Meatyard did not identify himself as a “Southern” or regional photographer. At the time of his passing, his work was gaining national recognition, being exhibited and collected by several esteemed museums and featured in various magazines. He showcased his work alongside notable photographers such as Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank, and Eikoh Hosoe. By the late 1970s, his photographs were primarily displayed in exhibitions focused on ‘southern’ art, but they have since garnered renewed interest. His most recognized photography often depicted dolls and masks, as well as family, friends, and neighbors captured in deserted buildings or typical suburban backyards.

Meatyard used a large aperture with a very small depth of field in all of his photos. The photo below is an example of this.

Meatyards “Zen Twigs” photo.

Saul Leiter

Leiter was primarily a painter who ventured into the world of colour photography, uncovering its unique potential. Starting in the 1940s, he built an impressive collection of work that delves into colour harmonies. He often played with unconventional framing techniques like shop signs, umbrellas, curtains, car doors, and foggy windows to craft abstract scenes of everyday urban life. He loved using long lenses, which allowed him to stay unnoticed while also compressing space, creating interesting juxtapositions of objects and people. Many of his photos feature negative space, with large blurred areas that draw attention to specific details or vibrant pops of colour.

Photo by Saul Leiter

My photos

Selection process

My best photos

I used aperture in these photos to show a shallow and deep depth of field.

Photo taken at f/2.4

This photo is inspired by Meatyard.

Photo taken at f/5.6

This photo is inspired by Leiter.

Photo taken at f/12

This photo is inspired by Leiter.

Experimentations

Using various tools in Photoshop I created an abstract version, this editing helped me to understand developing much better and how to properly edit a photo.

Overall thoughts and evaluation

Personally I think this photoshoot went really well and I really liked the outcome of my final photos. Furthermore I really like the abstract version of my clock photo, not only is it an interesting photo, but it gave me a much greater understanding of photoshop.

https://www.instagram.com/ian_ruhter/reel/C_L5iwISmAu

This hyper link shows camera obscura.

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tlbt/hd_tlbt.htm

This hyper link shows more about Henry Talbot.

Kodak (Brownie)

The film roll was the key element for the first Kodak camera, which was originally called the “roll holder breast camera.” The name Kodak was created by Eastman himself and first appeared in December 1887. With the KODAK Camera, Eastman laid the groundwork for making photography accessible to everyone. The Brownie was a simple box camera featuring a single lens. It utilized roll film, another breakthrough from Eastman Kodak. Customers would get the pre-loaded camera, snap their pictures, and send it back to Kodak. Kodak would then develop the film, print the photos, reload the camera with fresh film, and send it back to the customer.

Cyanotypes

Anna Atkins

Anna Atkins (16 March 1799 – 9 June 1871) was a pioneering English botanist and photographer. She is frequently recognized as the first individual to release a book that featured photographic illustrations. Additionally, some references claim she was the first woman to produce a photograph. In the 1850s, Atkins worked together with Anne Dixon (1799–1864), who was very close to her, almost like a sister, to create at least three presentation albums featuring cyanotype photograms.

My Cyanotype

This is a Cyanotype that I produced myself, a Cyanotype is a type of photographic printing process that reacts slowly and is cost-effective. It is sensitive to a specific range of near ultraviolet and blue light.