Stream, could use some CC

[Msteelio91]

First time messing with an ND filter to slow down some water. Any thoughts on these? I know it's not the most exciting subject

#1
Smooth Water-1 by Matthew_Steele, on Flickr

#2
Smooth Water-2 by Matthew_Steele, on Flickr

 

[tirediron]

Not bad; I like the look of the water, 'though I would have preferred the addition of a CPOL to cut down on glare/reflection as well. I think too that a wider view might have held greater interest.

 

[astroNikon]

^^^ I agree
The first thing I thought was that it looked awkward with such a closeup.
The water looks "weird" that close, for lack of better words.

 

[Msteelio91]

Sadly the view in this particular spot isn't great for a wide angle. I tried a few wider shots but wasn't happy with the comp, these are cropped. Good call on the CPOL I'll add that next time, totally slipped my mind on this one.

I'll try and find a more interesting location too and hopefully make use of a wider shot.

 

[D-B-J]

Where's the rest? Any way you could have gotten IN the water and looked up it?

 

[Msteelio91]

The "rest" is completely uninteresting lol. This is a small section of a small stream that just happened to have some breaks in the water that I though I could make use of. I really don't want to go in this water either haha

 

[D-B-J]

The "rest" is completely uninteresting lol. This is a small section of a small stream that just happened to have some breaks in the water that I though I could make use of. I really don't want to go in this water either haha

What about using a longer lens and a shallow aperture? Compress this nice section and provide some framing with the blurred "less interesting stuffs."

 

[chuasam]

congrats! you've done it. Now check off this cliché on the list of photos done and never do it again

 

[Msteelio91]

The "rest" is completely uninteresting lol. This is a small section of a small stream that just happened to have some breaks in the water that I though I could make use of. I really don't want to go in this water either haha

What about using a longer lens and a shallow aperture? Compress this nice section and provide some framing with the blurred "less interesting stuffs."

Yeah I may try that but it's a weird spot with a tight turn in the water and high/unstable banks. Going to have to get creative so I don't fall in the water O.O

congrats! you've done it. Now check off this cliché on the list of photos done and never do it again

I enjoy taking photos of this sort and intend to continue, but thanks for the useless input!

 

[Desi]

Well, here's some more useless input....

Getting this shot seems like a right of passage. But some people seem to be able to find magic in the movement of water. I agree with the idea of using a bigger lens and making a small waterfall look like a big deal. Low angles, tight crops....try different things. Later in the day should give less contrast on the rocks. Keep trying.

Desi

 

[Msteelio91]

Well, here's some more useless input....

Getting this shot seems like a right of passage. But some people seem to be able to find magic in the movement of water. I agree with the idea of using a bigger lens and making a small waterfall look like a big deal. Low angles, tight crops....try different things. Later in the day should give less contrast on the rocks. Keep trying.

Desi

That's much more useful, thanks haha. It's a hobby for me, this isn't about proving myself it's about enjoying what I'm doing and then taking a step back and liking what I've created while sharing it with others. It's funny to even call this a waterfall, the height is less than that of a horizontal dollar bill! I'm pretty close to great falls park in VA so that's my next stop to try this when I have some free time.

Thanks for the input fellas

 

[Desi]

Just to give another idea......play with the shutter speed. Long exposures turn the water into a sheet. Short, obviously, freeze the water. In between and you will get different textures. Sometimes I've seen the water look like it was painted with a course brush, other times I've seen it look like wispy threads.

Here's one to share with you. Taken just before dark, so the rock seems evenly lit. The main show was a large waterfall just 100 feet away, but this just got my attention. 6 second exposure.

Roaring Falls #1 by Desi595, on Flickr

 

[Msteelio91]

I like it, neat colors and I like the wispy look to the water. Nice!

 

[astroNikon]

When I first was doing this I was taking pictures of useless small water things .. for lack of better words.
Turbulent water a couple feet across and a couple feet long A good teaching exercise and usually within the locale so one can test their concepts.

But then I quickly expanded my subjects to photograph and took "more" interesting photos of more interesting subjects. I just wished I lived on the coast or someplace where there is large turbulent locations of water. Belching turtles in a fountain are interesting but not exactly photography.

So welcome to the ND world. Now go forth and find interesting water fountains and water falls.


FYI, I never showed anyone my early stuff.

 

[Msteelio91]

Haha yeah it's tough to find good spots sometimes