Sunrise Over Potomac River

[C4talyst]

I'm a noob and appreciate any feedback. I took this photo this morning with a Nikon D3100 and the 18-55mm kit lens. I was also using a Hoya NDx8 filter for the first time. I was hoping with this filter that I could get a more smooth look from the water. Even with the filter on, holding the shutter open for more than a couple seconds completely washes out the scene. I also tried turning down the EV some, but not too much.

How can I get the smooth water effect when facing the sun like this? Any other critique or suggestions about the photo are appreciated as well! I often feel like I'm not getting enough detail or sharpness with this lens, but after looking at the photos others have taken with the same setup, I know it's me and not the glass.

 

[snowbear]

You'll probably need multiple ND filters, lowest ISO setting and a very small aperture.

 

[D-B-J]

What were your aperture and ISO settings? Ideally, you will want the lowest ISO, and a low aperture (usually between 11 and 22). Even still, there may be too much light.

 

[C4talyst]

Thanks for the feedback. These were my settings:

ISO 100, f/18, Exposure bias -3.3.

It never occurred to me to use multiple filters. I like landscape photography the best. Would it serve me well to get setup for those Cokin filters that slide in?

 

[ktan7]

Gorgeous! Nicely captured!

 

[WesternGuy]

Nice image. I do agree that you might have to use more than one ND filter. Just watch the vignetting that's all, as I find that when I use multiple NDs for waterfalls, I get some vignetting with my wider lenses. From a composition perspective, I would have moved the "post" in just a bit more from the right to the right "thirds" position, or leave it out all together. HTH.

WesternGuy