Certified Professional Photographer Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Achieve Your CPP Success!

In photography, the commonly accepted guideline for shutter speeds when hand-holding a camera is to use a shutter speed that is at least as fast as the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens being used. For example, if you are shooting with a 50mm lens, the minimum shutter speed would typically be 1/50 second. However, to account for small movements that can occur while hand-holding the camera, many photographers recommend a slightly faster shutter speed.

Using a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second allows for a safer margin when hand-holding the camera, especially for lenses in the 50mm to 85mm range. This shutter speed helps to minimize motion blur caused by unintentional hand movement during the capture. By using 1/60 as a guideline, photographers can achieve sharper images in a wider variety of shooting conditions, such as low light, while still maintaining some flexibility with focal lengths.

In contrast, the other options represent shutter speeds that may not provide the necessary stability for hand-held shots. For example, speeds like 1/30 or 1/16 can lead to more noticeable blur due to camera shake, especially if the focal length of the lens is longer than 50mm, making