First real attempt at making silky water

[Ernicus]

The shot, to me, is quite ugly, not pretty at all to look at, but I wanted to share my photographic attempt as making fast running water after a storm look silky. I think the water came out cool..just an ugly scene. Please advise my noob eye at the water silk attempt.

 

[MReid]

Use an even slower shutter speed. Looks like you are on the right track for the effect.

 

[afoto]

hey ernicus, i agree about the scene, but it can sometime be hard to find a cool spot to take these kinds of photos.
i agree with MReid, if you use a even slower shutter speed you'll get more movement in the water, don't forget to use a tripod!

 

[Ernicus]

will do. I had the camera on the guard rail, it was about to rain again so I didnt wanna mess with getting out tripod. The trees blurred a bit cause the wind picked up. Generally I use tripod and 10 sec timer. I'll be practicing more of this type of photography as it interests me greatly so thanks for the tips.

 

[Ernicus]

oh, also. I tried to go slower on the shutter speed, but then the image got washed out. How can this be done during the day when its bright? or do we have to wait till dusk or early morning?

Not this shot, but a different attempt, I had apperature all the way it would go closed and shutter speed really low...yet still got blilnded by the light...ended up having to adjust and when I did to get exposure, the silky effect went away due to the speed to compensate for the light.

 

[jake337]

oh, also. I tried to go slower on the shutter speed, but then the image got washed out. How can this be done during the day when its bright? or do we have to wait till dusk or early morning?

I think you would want it to be a bit darker near sunrise or sunset. Then you can get even longer shutter-speeds. I think you may need ND filters for this mid-day to achieve longer shutter speeds.

 

[Ernicus]

K thanks. I saw a few examples of some in a book I am currently reading, and they appeared to be in broad daylight. So I am guessing high dollar equipment was involved. Once i find a place i like I was gonna do early morn and then evening and see what I like best.

 

[dxqcanada]

As Jake mentioned ... you need "The Ultimate Guide To Neutral Density Filters" by Peter Hill | RedBubble

 

[Ernicus]

Haven't even gotten to the stage of using filters yet...so I will definitely read up and look into that as part of my learning. Thanks.

 

[Ernicus]

downloaded and read through about 1/4 of it. Awesome read. Already lightbulbs and ideas are going off. Thanks again, it is all starting to make sense now. I love learning...seeing what I've learned today...imagine what I'll learn tomorrow.

 

[JSER]

Now I would have gone to the end of the rocks and concentrated looking upstream and shot at about 3/5 seconds at f11 100 iso

 

[Ernicus]

Trust me I wanted to, wrong time of year though. Water too high and cold. It is said late summer you can walk around down there, so I will definitely be in the water shooting not just that scene but a great scene up and to the right not shown. :-D

 

[bs0604]

DXQ-thanks for the link to the article on ND filters. It was excellent. In fact I ordered a B&W filter and can't wait to try it out on moving water.

 

[dxqcanada]

Other than a Polarizer, it would be one of the few filters that is very useful for colour photographers (and that cannot be substituted for Post Processing).

 

[Ernicus]

Second attempt shots to be posted later. I am excited. I just had a blast for the past 3 hours. I took all that I have read and learned in the past few days since joining here and did my best to implement. Obviously I can't master all that you folks say in a day, but I tried. lol. I am very pleased with what was shot tonight...well on the LCD anyway, I'll see shortly if any lived up to my excitement.

and I got the water smooth...very rough waters too. Even got to a point where I could use 20 and 30 second exposures. Hope they come out well.

Just wanted to share my excitement.