Long exposure fountains

[Dubaiian]

Hi All,

I have seen some really nice water shots from people on here where long exposures are used to create a misty look.

Whilst away for the weekend, I found a nice fountain and tried to do the same but it did not come out very well. Any idea what I am doing wrong??


Canon 7D, 24-105L, ISO 100, 35mm, f/22, 30 Second exposure.

Any ideas gratefully recieved.

 

[Dubaiian]

Sorry, forgot the picture :meh:

 

[MonicaBH]

My uneducated thoughts are that your composition is way off... I may have tried to zoom in more, and bring the camera level up and to the left some.

As far as slowing the motion of the water, though, I think you did a great job.

 

[Buckster]

I agree on the composition issue. You really have to nail that above everything else, or nothing else will fall into place.

As a whole picture, it's just not all that compelling as is. The background behind the fountain isn't doing anything for me. The windows with the arches look like they have potential. Perhaps if they were lined up symetrically directly behind the fountain, and the arches not cut off, that would be a good option to try. Also, consider using an aperture that better isolates the fountain (subject) from the background. F/22 is much too small, in my opinion, and you should go practically wide open for something like this, especially since the water will be blurred anyway, so you don't need maximum sharpness on it by stopping down a couple stops even.

On the water itself, it looks fine, but keep this in mind: Moving water doesn't take much to blur. A full 30 seconds such as that you used will give it one look, but 1 full second will give it a different look, and still the water will be blurred. Try a range of shutter speeds and then view them on your monitor later to determine which one works best for your composition.

 

[Frequency]

I like the smoothened fountain...but the sharpness of background eat away the beauty of the image little; as has been pointed out, a blurred/defocused background would have enhanced the appeal

 

[Dubaiian]

Thanks for all of the input, it has really helped to educate me again. The reason I had such a small aperture was that I believed I needed a long exposure and as it was quite bright I needed to stop down. I really should have used a ND filter to achieve the same effect (Note to self: explore all of the options!).

I definitely agree on the composition and will take your remarks on board - for me this was about learning the technique of blurring and not that I have more idea I will be searching out a better location to try again.

You guys are great teachers - thanks very much