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Shutter and motion

Shutter speed freezes a moment or lets it blur on purpose.

Freeze or flow

A fast shutter around 1/1000s freezes action sharp. A slow shutter, 1/30s or longer, lets movement smear into a sense of motion. Neither is wrong; it depends on the feeling you want.

Watch your hands

Handheld, anything slower than roughly one over your focal length starts to show camera shake. Below that, brace yourself or use a tripod.

See it

Example photo coming soon
A moving subject at 1/1000s, 1/125s, and 1/30s, from frozen to flowing.

Try it

Shoot something moving, like water or a passing cyclist, at a fast and a slow shutter. See where blur helps and where it hurts.