Trip To Hawaii

[Michael_Black]

Hello everyone. I am a rank newbie to the forum and photography in general. Last year my wife and I took our first trip since we graduated from college. We just up and went to Yellowstone and went through the Badlands on the way out. We both love the outdoors and just fell in love with the amazing landscapes we saw and photography in general. We bought a Kodak DX7590 a couple days before the trip.

Anyway, I am obsessed with moving water/streams/waterfalls. As a fly fisherman I study the water and how it moves around various objects. I have always loved the photos of streams where the water is "strung out." I understand this takes a slower shutter speed to obtain the image over a length of time. I was able to get a few nice ones from Yellowstone but most ended up to bright. I think this has to do a little bit with the aperature and ISO.

This July my wife and I are taking a trip to Hawaii. We want to take some amazing photos and I know there are many waterfalls. I would love to take a few nice photos with moving water.

If anyone has and ideas or help with settings or anything else that might help I would be forever grateful.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

You are correct, it takes long shutter speeds to get those smooth running water shots. The longer the shutter is open, the more light gets in...as you know...that's why the shots are often too bright.

First thing to do is set the ISO to the lowest setting. Then use the smallest aperture (biggest F number). Probably best to use aperture priority mode if you have it. This will give you the longest shutter speed for the scene. (maybe could go a little slower to underexpose the shot).

What a lot of people do for these shots, is to use a neutral density filter. It's basically a filter that goes over the lens that blocks light, like sunglasses. This allows you to use a longer shutter speed without overexposing the scene.

Finding the right scene and the right light are also important. When the water is frothing it looks white...which will loose detail in a photo very easily. Often, the best waterfall shots are not taken in direct sunlight.

We look forward to seeing more of your shots.

 

[markc]

It looks like they could all use a contrast boost. I would use Layer->New Adjustment Layer->Levels if you are using Photoshop. If you are using something that doesn't have layers, just do a levels adjustment.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/levels.htm

 

[Michael_Black]

I do have aperature priority mode as well as shutter mode and complete manual mode, although I really don't know what I am doing. The lowest I can get the ISO is 80. I will see if I can play with the f#.

I think I may have found a filter. Is this something that might work? Will it still give me normal color? It looks like is it compatible to my camera (DX7590).

I don't have photoshop. I use the software that came with my digital camera. I'll check if I can play with it on there.

Although I do this for my own enjoyment, I find that taking a great picture is incredibly rewarding. Even if no one else will ever see it.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Big Mike]

It says that it will fit your camera...it looks to be a standard 55mm threaded filter. I would assume then, that your camera has 55mm threads on the lens. If that's the case, then you can buy any 55mm threaded filter (not just ones listed on the Kodak site). Yes, it should still give you normal color.

I would suggest getting a circular polarizer. It will really help your outdoor shots.

One thing to check for is vignetting, that is darkening of the corners of the image when something (a filter or hood etc.) gets in the way at the wide end of the zoom. If that happens, you may need to get a step up ring and bigger filters. 58mm for example.

There is nothing wrong with taking photos just for yourself...for the enjoyment...I can't think of a better reason.

Looks like you will fit in well around here...just beware...you may find your self bitten by the DSLR (digital SLR) bug.