Front curtain

Dear little one, do you know what a curtain is? It's something that hangs up to cover and reveal a certain area. Now, imagine that there's a big camera that has a curtain inside it, called the "front curtain." This curtain covers the camera sensor, which is like a tiny piece that captures the light and makes an image.

When you want to take a picture, the front curtain turns on and moves away quickly to uncover the sensor for a tiny moment, allowing the light to enter and create an image. Think of it like lifting a big blanket from the camera's eyes, just for a split second.

This is an important part of photography because it controls the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light, called "shutter speed." The faster the front curtain moves, the less time the sensor is exposed, which can be useful for freezing action like a superhero. Slower movements of the front curtain are good for capturing motion blur, like in a race car.

So, remember when you see a camera and hear a little sound like "click"? That's the front curtain opening and closing, capturing an image of what you see!