Photography tips

Using shutter speed creatively

Mount Pilatus massif in Central Switzerland surrounded by fog in the evening light

Key tips

  1. Use a fast shutter speed or a stable base when shooting at a long focal length of 400 mm to prevent motion blur.
  2. Ensure steady handling at longer shutter speeds to avoid camera shake.
  3. Use a fast shutter speed with long focal lengths to prevent motion blur caused by the magnification.

Photographs on this topic

27 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects Mountains City Architecture Landscape Pilatus Lucerne Central Switzerland Lake Lucerne
Low sun over Lake Baldegg in orange-yellow light due to Saharan dust 135 mm · f/11 · 1/160 s · ISO 250 Frost on trees and grass at Lake Sempach in dense fog 28 mm · f/6.3 · 1/80 s · ISO 320 The snow-covered summit of Mount Rigi with a transmission tower rising above a dense layer of fog. 270 mm · f/18 · 1/320 s · ISO 320 View of Lake Sempach at sunset with light reflecting on the water 50 mm · f/8 · 1/1250 s · ISO 400 View from a wooden jetty over Lake Sempach at sunset 50 mm · f/5.6 · 1/500 s · ISO 100 Side view of a raven's head with a small piece of food in its beak against a blurred water background. 400 mm · f/8 · 1/500 s · ISO 1600 A blue and white Rigi rack railway train stands on the tracks in front of a station. 22 mm · f/8 · 1/2000 s · ISO 400 Rear view of a historic Rigi cogwheel railway carriage on the tracks in Vitznau. 22 mm · f/3.2 · 1/4000 s · ISO 400 Detailed view of the stone main portal featuring the Last Judgment at Bern Minster by night 22 mm · f/18 · 5 s · ISO 400 Portrait of a brown bear at the Bern Bear Pit 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/250 s · ISO 6400 Portrait of a brown bear at the Bear Pit in Bern 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/640 s · ISO 6400 Portrait of a brown bear in front of a concrete wall in the Bern Bear Park. 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/640 s · ISO 6400 Side view of a brown bear at the Bear Park in Bern 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/500 s · ISO 6400 Portrait of a brown bear at the Bern Bear Park 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/500 s · ISO 6400 Brown bear in front of a wall at the Bern Bear Park 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/500 s · ISO 6400 A resting brown bear in the Bear Pit in Bern 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/400 s · ISO 6400 Portrait of a brown bear at the Bern Bear Park 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/400 s · ISO 6400 A brown bear lying behind branches in the Bern bear pit 400 mm · f/6.3 · 1/500 s · ISO 6400 A resting brown bear behind branches in the Bern Bear Pit 246 mm · f/6.3 · 1/640 s · ISO 6400 View of the Bern Minster over the roofs of the old town of Bern 110 mm · f/5.6 · 1/500 s · ISO 250 View of the Bern Minster tower above the old town of Bern 163 mm · f/5.6 · 1/500 s · ISO 400 Central front view of the Bern Federal Palace with dome under a cloudy sky 23 mm · f/9 · 1/500 s · ISO 100 Dome of the Federal Palace in Bern against blue sky 64 mm · f/13 · 1/640 s · ISO 400

Related topics

  • Mountains
  • City
  • Architecture
  • Landscape
  • Light
  • Camera settings
  • Composition
  • Perspective
  • Pilatus
  • Lucerne
  • Central Switzerland
  • Lake Lucerne
  • Evening light
  • Fog
  • Sunset
  • Night
  • Blue hour
  • Snow
  • Rain
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