In this post I explore shutter speed via photos of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Shutter speed dictates is is the duration that the photo receptor is exposed to light. As you can see in the pictures below (presented fastest to slowest shutter speed), faster shutter speeds are crisper while slower shutter speeds blur of anything that was in motion during the shot. This motion blur occurs due to any object in motion being captured at multiple points during the exposure.

Throughout taking these shots I was constantly adjusting the ISO and aperture. This was to ensure more light entered the camera at high low exposure time, and that less light entered over longer exposures. If i did not adjust the other parameters the photos would have been to dark or washed respectively.

This can be mediated slightly with editing software but the results are not as good as taking a good photo in the first place.

I took these shots at Dallas Rd Beach in Victoria BC. These shots are of the shores of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, part of the Salish Sea. I want to take a second to talk about one of the reasons why I chose to do nature photography for this project: privacy. I didn’t want to take any pictures where people are identifiable. This is to make things easier for me, as I would need to get their permission to post their image here. I may take some photos of people in the future as an exercise in getting consent, but I think I’ll wait until I am a better photographer. This is something I haven’t thought about in the past. I have taken and posted photos of students and athletes I have worked with without their consent. That is why I want to gain a better understanding of online consent before posting photos of people.

All photos were taken by me and are open for reuse with attribution.