What is Shutter Speed? A Simple Guide for Newborn Photographers
A shutter is the device inside your camera that opens every time you press the shutter button. Think of it like your eye. Open and close your eye very quickly and very little light gets in. Open it and count to five and a lot more light gets in. Your camera's shutter works in exactly the same way.
Shutter speed is simply how long that shutter stays open. It is a setting you can control.
What Shutter Speed Settings Do I Need to Know
Shutter speed settings are the same across all cameras. The speeds you need to know for newborn photography are 1/30, 1/60, 1/125 and 1/250.
The lower the number the longer the shutter stays open and the more light comes in. So 1/30 lets in more light than 1/250.
For most newborn sessions I would use 1/125. If you are interested in why, it is fast enough that you can hold your camera steady without getting blur in your images, and it is compatible with most flash units. But you do not need to understand the full reason to use it confidently.
Shutter speed works together with your aperture and your ISO setting. These 3 settings all control the final look of your photograph. You can read about how all three settings work together in my overview post.
What Shutter Speed Should I Use for Newborn Photography
For newborn photography I shoot at 1/125 of a second. It is fast enough to avoid camera shake and fast enough to freeze any small movements your baby makes, a twitch, a stretch, a fleeting expression.
You do not need to go much higher than 1/125 for newborn work. A sleeping or gently stirring newborn does not require anything more. Going much lower than 1/125 risks camera shake which can result in soft or blurry images.
Natural Light and Flash
If you shoot with natural daylight or LED lighting you will need to adjust your shutter speed depending on how much light you have available. In a bright well lit space you may be able to use a faster speed. In lower light you may need to slow it down, but always be aware that going too low risks camera shake.
If you shoot with flash or strobe lighting, which is what I use, keep your shutter speed at or below 1/125. This will be compatible with most flash units.
The One Mistake to Watch Out For
If you are shooting with flash and you notice a dark band across the bottom of your image, your shutter speed is too high. Simply lower it until the band disappears. You do not need to understand exactly why this happens. You just need to know that lowering your shutter speed will fix it immediately.
That is everything a newborn photographer needs to know about shutter speed. Set it to 1/125, adjust slightly depending on your light source, and lower it if you see that dark band when shooting with flash.