A question

kRiZ cPEc · May 17, 2007

I went shooting some photos of water, the following one has been commented as ordinary/dull.

I would like what should be done to take photo that would convey something.
Thanks a lot.
(Hope I post this topic at the right place)

mysteryscribe · May 17, 2007

What do you want to convey?

The_Traveler · May 17, 2007

One of the problems here is that picture has been done ten million times already this week (ok, perhaps a slight exageration, but maybe not) and finding a new angle or something new or interesting to say will be difficult.

Look at it as a technical problem. Get exposures and shutter speeds correct for water and rocks and go on.

kRiZ cPEc · May 17, 2007

would it help if I lengthen the exposure time to get one with water goes blurry?

mysteryscribe · May 17, 2007

I thought the water was blury

mmphoto · May 17, 2007

i have some photos of this same coloring and i don't like them because the water is always puke green, but when i change the hue just a bit or at saturation or contrast it tends to pop more. and one stop down on aperture and 2 stops stop slower on shutter might make the water even more blurry and interesting looking. but i think what looks good in the blurry water photos is how still everything is around it. you get a real sense of motion but since most of this photo is water you don't really get that. i found this on google- just as an example of what i mean for such an instance

kRiZ cPEc · May 17, 2007

so I zoomed into the water too much?
Thanks MMphoto you helped a lot.

Alpha · May 18, 2007

Zoom isn't an issue. Just stop down to lengthen shutter speed. I wouldn't go below 1/15 unless you want it to look like milk.

mysteryscribe · May 18, 2007

Bulldroppings I want it to look like beer,

Puscas · May 18, 2007

The boring part has nothing to do with zoom or shutter speed. It's like The Traveler said 'this has been done before'. Many times. And I think you didn't pick the most exciting spot: the rocks are very plain, the drop of the water doesn't look too spectacular. And there are no gorgeous surroundings to make up for all this. So all we are left with is a bit of water running along boring rocks. If you were to create the milky effect, I think you would end up with a bit of milky water running along boring rocks.
So, I'm curious to know what did you see when you took this? (and like mysteryscribe said what do/did you want to convey).

pascal

LaFoto · May 18, 2007

Well, while flowing water has been done a million times before, I, for one, still want to get MY photo of flowing water with the softened effect, and I haven't, and I guess this might have applied to Kris as well before he took this one. And now he has his own photo of a water fall with flowing water, and was happy about his own result, to only hear others call it dull.

So here he is, with HIS (first? one and only?) photo of flowing water, wanting to know what he did wrong.

OK, it may be "wrong" to photograph a motif that has been photographed lots of times before.

But that is not the question, not for Kris, I am sure it is not.
It's rather: what to do to make a photo of this kind, i.e. HIS photo of this kind, better.
And I kind of feel that the answer given by mmphoto isn't too wrong after all: this very photo, THE flowing-water-photo-by-Kris, is too tightly cropped, apart from the fact that the water might look a bit murky, too.

So my advice for future photos of this kind (boring to others, Kris, they have seen it a million times before, but interesting for YOU and your learning curve, I am sure!) would be to include some more surroundings, to give this flowing water some more context. And then, given you make use of digital photography (?), test out your speeds and apertures and play a little, that, too, helps learning. Also play with points of view ... I think you are on the way. At least you have got further into your own flowing-water-photography than I have with mine..!

New England Moments · May 18, 2007

True this is a common water shot, but you do have good detail here/ and motion... I think light was your enemy...

but when shooting water falling this is the type lighting you want , to pull off those slow exposures..

The only trouble with this shot is that there is no window dressing, in other words, other type subject to show off the flowing water...

Another thing when shooting tight on flowing water , you need to include something to show scale...

Not a bad shot overall, good detail!!!

kRiZ cPEc · May 21, 2007

sorry for late reply, haven't time around in the last few days. Thanks for your understanding and suggestions Mr LaFoto.
What I wanted to do was that when I was there, the environment gave a me a feeling beyond description; I couldn't put it in words and the problem, I think, was that I want to shoot something which I have no idea how to let viewers see the same.