Ok……it wasn’t that bad was it!? Your palms were sweaty for no reason at all, right? So what are your thoughts about Shutter Speed? Is it making more sense to you now? Re-read last week’s lesson.
Let’s review.
Shutter Speed is literally the speed of the opening within the lens that “snaps” the picture or image.
How fast that shutter opens and closes determines:
**The blurriness or sharpness of your subject—if the shutter is open for a longer period of time, it’s going to pick up any movement within your frame (including your own hand shake). If it opens really quickly then your subject will be ‘frozen’ without being blurry.
**It also determines how much light reaches your frame to help expose your image. The longer it’s open, the more light comes in…the quicker it open and closes, the less light comes in.
Get it?
Re-read that.
Shutter Speed is also written in a fraction number such as 1/15-1/1000. Bonus: why is it written like that?
Because it opens and closes in fractions of a second. Pretty neat, huh?
Here are a few images from this weekend. These images are straight out of the camera (SOOC) with no editing.
Image #1: ISO 100, aperture f/11, shutter speed 1/180
Image #2: ISO 100, aperture f/11, shutter speed 1/500 
Now look at the difference in the two images. My ISO and aperture settings were the same, but my SS changed. What does my image look like with a slower SS? What does the image look like with a faster SS?
Now…on to the evening shots.
Image #3: ISO 1250, aperture 2.8, shutter speed 1/90
This one is too dark, but look at the last one.
Image #4: ISO 1250, aperture 2.8, shutter speed 1/45.
Notice my ISO is pretty up there (it’s right at dusk); my aperture is as wide as I can go with this lens, so I’ve got to slow down my shutter speed as much as possible to let as much light in as possible. But remember the risk–a blurred image. Ideally, you could use a tripod to keep yourself from moving, but with these images I was sitting on the roof of my car with my elbows propped on my knees. 😉 
Clear as mud?? You’ve got it. No worries.
Don’t forget you can ask questions, just post your questions in the comments section so everyone can have a chance to also understand.
Now go out and shoot someone!