Alternatively known as exposure time, shutter speed is a camera specification that defines the period over which a camera collects data for an image. For example, a shutter speed set to 1/60 takes 1/60th of a second for the necessary light to enter the lens to capture an image. If the shutter speed is longer, more time is condensed into a single photograph, allowing the motion to become more noticeable. Shutter speed is an adjustable setting on most modern digital cameras.
The top example image shows a higher range of motion because it was taken for a few seconds instead of a fraction of a second.
Camera, Camera terms
