Why are my photos dark when using a fast shutter speed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cincy G
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Cincy G

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I am trying to take a picture of my cat which is half in sun half in shade, i am using shutter speed of 320, and ISO of 800, and the photos are turning out almost black, can you tell me what im doing wrong? i would hate to use flash taking close up photos of my cat, i tried both A priority and S priority with no luck, i guess the only way to use shutter speed over 250 is in bright sun only?
 
not enough light gets in with a super fast shutter speed especially with cheap cameras
 
Aperture and shutter speed determine the exposure of film to light. They work in conjunction to produce a balanced image. Choosing both the right aperture and shutter speed is essential to taking a good photo.
With an aperture of F11, the shutter speed on a bright sunny day is typically 1/125 second. Using the same aperture on a cloudy day, set the shutter speed at 1/60 second to expose the film to light for a longer period of time.
 
slow down the shutter speed
and open the aperture a bit
and bracket like a crazy person. out of several shots done differently you ought to get atleast one keeper.
 
Remember, the quicker the shutter speed, the less time that light has to expose the image.
It works the same way, whether it's film or digital.

So, you have to compensate, either by using a higher ISO, opening the f-stop of the lens (are you on auto? - trying going into manual, and choosing a larger f-stop - meaning, lower #).
Other than those options, you MUST put more light into the scene you're shooting.
Try the f-stop though.

The other thing can be to get something to use as bounce - something big & white to bounce the light into the shadows, like some beadboard or foamcore (my favorite).
 
The shutter speed is too fast not allowing the shutter to stay open long enough to let in any light. Try bumping the iso all the way down to 100 set the shutter for 1/250 and set the aperture at f/5.6. You only want to use high iso in very low light conditions.
 
When you up the shutter speed, then you limit the amount of light that can get into your camera, hence the darkness. The faster the shudder speed, the less light the camera allows in.

Slow down the shudder speed. 30 is the lowest setting you can get to without camera-shake blur.
 
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