Shutter speed changes eveything. In most cases the camera shutter captures a fraction of a second which allows us to "see" things that may escape the human eye. The beat of a humingbird wing, the impact of a water balloon, a hockey puck in mid flight.
 
These are all things that a fast shutter speed will show. But what about a slow shutter speed? Slowing down the shutter can show just as many wonderful things. Like the blur of a dancers skirt in mid twirl, water spilling over rocks in a stream. It can also be used to add visual interest to images.
 
Take the above image of the father and daughter sledding. A fast shutter speed would work to freeze the action and show some happy faces. But a slower shutter speed selection adds a sense of action or excitement to the image. Do we agree?
 
In the good old days of film to get an image like this I would have to shoot maybe two rolls of 36 exposure film and hope I got the shot when I got back to the lab later in the day. Today with digital, I get instant results. With instant results it’s easier to try new things, you can be sure you “have it” before moving on to something else.
 
How to do it:
 
First I need a moving subject. It is best to have a moving subject that repeats it. Like the sledding hill. Kids go up and down all the time. Next I need them moving in a constant path. This needs to be left to right or right to left. If they are moving toward the camera or away you will lose focus. So I focus on the subject and don’t change the focus as the subjects “path” moves in front of me. Now a shutter speed. I like to start at 1/30th of a second, take a few shots. I like to preview my shots on the camera LCD then make exposure adjustments then shoot some more. I may go slower or faster depending on the outcome of the test shots.
 
Panning. This is the technique of moving or swinging the camera at the same rate the subject is passing. What this means is that I keep the subject still in the viewfinder as the camera moves. This gives the effect I want. Some parts of the image sharp and in focus, the others a blur. The blur shows speed. The sharp in focus portion provides something to relate to that speed. I take my time panning; it’s easy to move too fast. For lenses I like a short telephoto maybe 135mm. The longer the lens the more difficult it is to keep the subject centered and in focus. One by-product of the slow shutter speed is a greater depth of field, which helps. Give it a try.