Cheat Sheet Friday: how a camera shutter works

jmeyer | Beginner | 24/08/2012 15:42pm

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Have you ever thought about how your camera shutter actually works to regulate the brightness of your photos? Shutter speed is one of those fundamental controls on our camera that we take for granted, but knowing how it works will give you the knowledge you need to start taking pictures with more authority. Our latest photography cheat sheet illustrates how each component of your camera’s shutter works in tandem.

The shutter in your camera controls how long the sensor is exposed to light. It uses a pair of ‘curtains’ or blinds. One opens to start the exposure, and the other is closed to end it.

At slower shutter speeds, both curtains on your camera’s shutter are open for some of the exposure. At faster speeds (any speed above the ‘flash sync speed’ – 1/200sec on many models), the second curtain closes the opening as the first is still opening.

So your sensor is effectively exposed to the light through a moving slit. In our latest photography cheat sheet below we’ve aimed to illustrate where each of these components sit within your camera shutter, and how they work.