Something like 1/800 would be reserved for subjects that are moving. Since your subjects are stationary, you don't need the shutter to open and close THAT fast.

Going from film to digital, I've noticed that LCD's on the back of the camera, lie to you. What looks like flashing, blown highlights on the LCD on your camera may be perfect if you're sending your prints to a lab for print. What looks perfect, may be under exposed.