Master exposure times for motion blur or freezing action
S 'hutter priority mode (or ‘Tv’ on some cameras) is incredibly valuable for controlling motion – either for freezing fast-moving subjects or for creating an abstract, blurred effect by deliberately engineering slower shutter speeds. Shutter priority mode can accommodate varying motion speeds, and give you consistent exposures across a burst of high-speed frames, even if the light changes rapidly.
As it doesn’t let you control the depth of field, this does limit your creative options. Depending solely on shutter speed adjustments can also result in underexposed or overexposed images if the camera’s metering system misinterprets the brightness of the scene. So, to set up your camera for shutter priority mode, dial the mode selector to ‘S’ or ‘Tv’, and use the control dials to adjust the desired shutter speed. If you’re using variable aperture lenses, be mindful that the available shutter speed range may be affected by the aperture setting that you’ve dialled in.
LINK EXPOSURE TO THE AF POINT
A key reason why photographers choose shutter priority mode is for the quickest reactivity with active targets. By linking your chosen autofocus point to spot metering mode, as the focus point moves in order to make your subject sharp, the metering point moves with it. Ideally, this means you’ll get the perfect exposure on your subject every time. Some cameras have the metering point linked to your chosen AF point automatically. If not, check the AF/MF settings in your menu.
