Understanding how your camera’s shutter works offers a more creative (and fun) view of the world. By slowing things down a little, you can turn an ordinary image or scene into something quiet arty and unique.

In this first of two posts looking a shutter speed, I show you how I slow down my shutter to be more creative. In my second post, Shutter Speed – Pan & Zoom I show panning and zooming techniques that I use to go a little bit further.

Slowing down the swimmer creates a ghostly feel to his face and jaws and also smoothes out the splashing water.

The great thing about playing with shutter speed is that it offers creative options in any lighting or weather condition.

I learnt how to use shutter speed from a book by the great Bryan Peterson that I highly recommend Understanding Shutter Speed the rest, came with practice.

The fed in his reds pings a first serve away. By moving the focus point onto his face, it keeps this and slower parts of the scene sharper but allows faster moving parts to ‘drag’. A monopod helps steady everything.

The famous Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. Slowing the shutter creates a sense of the incredible energy and volume of people darting between sidewalks before the lights change and cars reclaim the streets.

Grand Central NYC. The ghosting of a woman’s high heels across the image foreground turns an ordinary image of GC into something more interesting.

This shot of a man cautiously wading his way though heavy rains on his scooter in Jakarta was taken from the balcony of my 34th apartment. At 1/60th,  individual rain drops appear to dance across the scene, creating a painterly effect to the photograph and leaving much to the viewers imagination.

To view more of my images, please visit my web esam hassanyeh