My first long exposure pictures of water C&C please

[john sherratt]

Ok so yesturday i went out and took my first long exposure pictures of some water i dont think they turned out quite right. I need some input on my settings please i used manual and apature priroty mode when i was in manual i set my shutter speed but i set my apature i could not get my expourse meter to read 0. With out setting my shutter speed higher which i did not want to so as a beginner what did i need to do i'm thinking a ND filter would of brought my f stop down which would of helped sorry if it sounds stupid but just need some info as i want to get better at my hobby.

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[WesternGuy]

John, I like that last view of Elbow Falls. I am going to assume that the first two are upstream of the falls - the first one actually looks a little underexposed, whereas the last two are fairly well exposed. You are right that a ND filter will be a big help. I have photographed that falls a number of times over the years and have found that a 2 or 3 stop ND filter gives me decent results. If you are going to buy filters, I would suggest you look at some of the US suppliers (B&H) as I have found that filters are usually a lot cheaper in the US than they are in Canada - in any case, shop around a bit - prices do vary. My 0.02¢ FWIW.

WesternGuy

 

[480sparky]

.........i'm thinking a ND filter would of brought my f stop down which would of helped.........

You need an ND filter to lengthen your shutter time. Leave the aperture where it is ( f/20 ), or open it more to the 'sweet spot'. Using a longer shutter speed will make the water even smoother.

FWIW, adjusting the white point and raising the left side of the curve (and upping the contrast a bit) on the first photo can really make it pop.

 

[john sherratt]

Yes it was Elbow falls WesternGuy and thank you for the edit 480 sparky thank you for both taking the time to give your input i appreciate it.