Help with water pictures...

DemonAstroth · Jan 20, 2009

I really like the look of long exposure pictures of water, and would like to know any advice you may have regarding this effect.

This has been one of my best pictures, but it is still a far cry from what I have seen. I'm sure the data is there so you can see any errors I may be making.

I guess the data is not in it.. so:

0.3 secs exposure
f-22
iso100
28mm focal length

It was taken handheld, with a canon 28-135 IS and a rebel xt.

Thanks!

LaFoto · Jan 20, 2009

I see little wrong with this one!
Often enough, the water is on the brink of being blown at the bottom, where the white of it splashing into the pond is. Not so here. It is even a tad dark. If you have access to pp-software, you might want to spare out the sunny top and only work on the highlights of the shadowy bottom part (largest part of the whole photo) to bring out some more highlights, but other than that I think you did really well!

Torus34 · Jan 20, 2009

Just a couple of very general observations.

Any scenic, including the one you've presented, can be photographed in various lights. The waterfall here is in deep shade. At another time during the day, it might be partially or fully sunlit. This will give a very different result, as will shooting on an overcast day. If time permits or if revisiting the scene is possible, do consider it.

The degree of blur which produces the 'best' image depends on many, many factors -- too many for hard and fast rules. The use of a tripod for composition also provides the possibility of several identical exposures at different shutter speeds. 'Nuff said.

For an example of less blur, check 'Summer Snapshot' in the Landscape & Cityscape section.

Samanax · Jan 20, 2009

DemonAstroth said:
I really like the look of long exposure pictures of water, and would like to know any advice you may have regarding this effect.

Use a tripod. Get some neutral density (ND) or graduated neutral density (GND) filters to help keep the image from becoming overexposed and blown out.

Waterfall Digital Photography

DemonAstroth said:
This has been one of my best pictures, but it is still a far cry from what I have seen.

0.3 secs exposure
f-22
iso100
28mm focal length

It was taken handheld, with a canon 28-135 IS and a rebel xt.

That's pretty good for hand held. But get yourself a good tripod so you can use slower shutter speeds to really make the water look really silky.

nikki2291 · Jan 20, 2009

I agree with everyone above and would definitly get a tripod although that is really good for being handheld. Another thing you can do too to see which settings on your camera work best for water or what techniques work best, is practice with the water from your kitchen tap. Turn the water on and away you go...I do it all the time and it has taught me alot about running water and the settings on my own camera. =)

~Nikki~

alarionov · Jan 20, 2009

I also think thats a good shot for handheld.

Mgw189 · Jan 20, 2009

ND filters for sure. They give the camera the impression that it is darker than it really is. Because of this you can use longer shutter speeds to get that flow just right. This shot is underexposed quite a bit in the bottom but the sky up above is bordering on over exposure. To fix that issues you can use a graduated ND filter. They can generally be stacked with a ND filter with out any issues. Graduated ND filters start dark grey and go to clear. They allow you to darken an area in the picture in this case the sky so that you can expose the waterfall without blowing out the sky areas.

Beth81 · Jan 20, 2009

Oh my!!! I love that picture. It's so beautiful...

SlimPaul · Jan 20, 2009

It's a nice shot. There's just too much greenery for me and I feel that the shot is taken too close and too low. But that's just my taste. Try taking photos of the same scene from many different angles. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to shoot waterfalls. :neutral: Thanks for the advice about the filters.

dxqcanada · Jan 20, 2009

If you look closer at a lot of flowing water pictures you will notice that most of them are taken on overcast days.

You need to find backgrounds/foregrounds that will compliment the soft water look.

DemonAstroth · Jan 29, 2009

Thank you for your comments!

From your different comments, this is what I get:
a) If overcast enough, a 2 second exposure may be best
b) If exposure of such length, tripod necessary.
c) Get a ND or GND filter to help.

Of course these are not set in stone rules, but general guidelines. Thanks for the comments on the pictures.

Unfortunately, my 3 lenses are all different sizes

The 28-135 IS is 72, the 70-200 f/4l is is 67, and the 50 f/1.4 is 48. And I don't know how long I'll have the 28-135, as I have to decide for either the 28-70 f/2.8 or the 24-105 f/4 is later on.

Anyway, from your input I tried to make the picture look better after some processing. All I have is LR2, and I'm learning how to use it.

I paintbrushed the top and underexposed it, and then I played with the tones of the whole picture. I have mixed feelings about it, but comments are welcome.

Thank you

DemonAstroth · Jan 30, 2009

Anything to add to the new photo?

Karen_esmerelda · Jan 30, 2009

The new one brings out the colors better. I love this look for water so I am a bit partial. Very big kudos for going handheld. I like to test how long i can do a hand held and keep it in focus. The second does look better overall than the first one.