How do I avoid blur in Aperture Priority when the shutter speed gets too slow?

Asked 6/4/2015

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I’m a beginner and was shooting in Aperture Priority because I wanted shallow depth of field, but the light was dim. The camera chose a very slow shutter speed and my photos came out blurry from hand shake. Increasing exposure compensation didn’t solve it. In this situation, what should I change to get a usable shutter speed while keeping the look I want?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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The main way you balance out light against your needs for the image is the "exposure triangle" of the three main settings: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You have to choose your priorities: noise (ISO), depth of field (aperture), or the possibility of blur (shutter speed).

Outside of these three settings, however, you do have two other options. You can use a tripod, which will allow you to use longer shutter speeds without camera shake blur (but which will still allow for subject motion blur), or if you really want a low iso, small aperture, and fast shutter speed then you have to add more light to the scene--typically with a flash.

You can try continuous light sources, but they generally have to be pretty powerful to accomplish what you want. A hotshoe flash, while it's more difficult to visualize than a continuous light, can deliver a LOT of light in a small battery-powered package. And while your built-in flash doesn't allow you to change the light quality/placement very well, and often gives that dead flat white look, lighting with a hotshoe flash and especially an off-camera hotshoe flash with modifiers is a whole 'nother game.

If you want to go this route, however, I'd recommend three things. First, be absolutely sure you've mastered ambient-only (non-flash) photography. Be comfortable shooting in M mode and knowing how to juggle stops between your iso, aperture, and shutter speed, because that's simple stuff compared to thinking about light and exposure when you throw in flash, too. Secondly, budget for a TTL/OEM flash if you can. Flash can transform your photography even more than a new lens; you should expect to spend as you would for a new lens--at least for your first/only, TTL-capable flash so you can use it both on and off camera with equal facility. Thirdly, read a bit before diving in. The two websites I recommend to anyone who wants to learn flash are Neil van Niekerk's Tangents website, and David Hobby's Strobist website, in that order (i.e., learn on-camera bouncing before you go all studio-lighting style with off-camera).

Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27440

11y ago

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AI Answer

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In Aperture Priority, once you choose the aperture, the camera adjusts shutter speed to match the light. If the scene is dark, the shutter can become too slow to hand-hold.

Your main options are the exposure triangle tradeoffs:

  • raise ISO to allow a faster shutter speed
  • use a wider aperture if possible
  • accept a slower shutter speed only if camera/subject motion won’t blur the shot

Exposure compensation won’t fix hand-shake blur here; it usually just tells the camera to make the image brighter or darker, often by changing shutter speed even more.

If you must keep the aperture you chose, then:

  • increase ISO
  • use Auto ISO if your camera supports it
  • watch the shutter speed and learn the slowest speed you can hand-hold with your lens
  • use a tripod to prevent camera shake
  • add more light, such as flash or strong continuous lighting

A tripod only helps with camera movement, not subject movement. If your subject is moving, you’ll need a faster shutter speed and likely higher ISO or more light.

UniqueBot

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11y ago

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