Photographing water

[JDArt]

Can anyone give me tips on photographing water? What's needed to get that silky smooth look that you see in pictures like this?

Thanks.

[cyclohexane]

I think it's a long exposure (often helped along by a ND filter or something) but I've never done it. I'd love to give it a try myself, but I'd also like to know exactly how it's done. Good question.

[dc2]

Tripod and long exposure

[Fish36990]

I used the tripod and long exposure but it kept washing out my shots in the brighter areas. I picked up an ND filter yesterday to try it again. I posted several things I learned while trying to figure it out if you want to check it out. I had alot of problems and I still don't have it down but maybe it will prevent you from making the same mistakes I did on your first time out.

http://www.photocamel.com/index.php/topic,4520.0.html

Hope it helps,
Josh

[JDArt]

Josh, which ND filter should one get? Is there one that will work for several different lenses with different diameters? Thanks.

[RobAmy]

Jay I used a tripod and a cable release on this one. I could have slowed it down more but wanted a more rushing effect.

Exposure Time = 1/8"
F Number = F22
Exposure Program = Shutter priority
ISO Speed Ratings = 50
Shutter Speed Value = 3 TV
Aperture Value = 9 AV
Exposure Bias Value = -0.33EV
Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length = 27mm

[Fish36990]

The one I bought was a ND2 from Wolf Camera. I haven't tried it yet but it seems to work well when I tested it around the house. Mr. Pickles explained it to me as sunglasses for your camera and it seems to make sense.

My filter is a 55mm which will only fit my 18mm-70mm lense but not my 70mm-300mm lense. You'll have to ask one of the experts here to be certain but I think there is one that has a housing and you can insert any filter you want in the housing. Can someone clarify this?

Josh

[JDArt]

Great shot, Rob. No ND filter there?

Thanks, Fish.

[Fish36990]

Yeah Rob....

I'm curious about the ND filter also....that's a wonderful picture. I can only hope mine are even close to that good when I try it again with the filter.

Josh

[mikej]

For high contrast areas between highlight and shadow, I don't use a ND filter or a GND filter anymore, although I do have a GND filter that I'll take with me sometimes. What I do is take multiple shots, exposing for the important parts in each and then merging them together in Photoshop after the fact. It's actually less work than trying to fit a GND filter and getting it lined up.

For reducing the light when I need to slow my shutter speed down, I use a polorizer. In most cases the 2 stops from the polorizer is enough to let me slow down my shutter speed enough to get smooth water flow. Although I've never used two at the same time, I do carry a second polorzier filter, usually on another lens.

Here is one of my shots:



Mike

[JDArt]

Dumb question: What's a GND?

[Fish36990]

Wow Mike...another great photo.

Not to sound like an idiot...but what is a GND filter. I'm assuming the ND is Neutral Density but not sure what the G is.

Also, thanks for the ideas...I may try the multiple shots the next time I try this. Do you focus on the different areas and just overlay the sections of the shot you want to show? Or do you use the variable locations in your viewfinder to meter off of and not move the camera. I hope I asked that in a way so you understand what I'm trying to ask...

Josh

[Fish36990]

Ha Ha....you beat me to it. If I wasn't so long winded I would have won!

Josh

[JDArt]

I'll bet it's "graduated neutral density." And the "graduated" stands for the fact that...

[Fish36990]

It seems you're right....

It appears to knock off some of the highs and not the lows from the examples I found on the internet. Here's the link where I was looking at but I would love a better explanation in laymans terms from an experienced Camel,

http://www.myparkphotos.com/articles...omparison.html

Josh

[mikej]

Yes, it stands for graduated... as compared to a non-graduated neutral density filter that didn't make it because it was too dense.


A GND can be good if you have a even division between the highlight area (usually the sky) and the shadow area (usually the ground). But if you have sky between buildings or sky showing between trees or mountain peaks, a GND isn't as effective.

Josh, when I take multip exposure, I'll take one shot exposed for the highlight area (like the sky) and one shot for the shadow area. If there is a wide difference between shadow and highlight, I might take one or two more, splitting the difference between the max and min fstop. I'll use my exposure compensation wheel to make the change as that is easy and quick if I don't mind the fstop change. If I need fstop to stay where it's at (for depth of field) I'll change the shutter speed.

Fred Miranda has a action that works very well to combine images like this and that is what I use mostly. Photoshop CS2 has a HDR feature that will do two or more images and combine them. I've not played with the CS2 version yet as I've not taken multiple shots since I've had CS2.

I usually take the pictures on a tripod so the image doesn't change by movement, but I have also done it free hand when most of the overlap will not be affected by movement.

Mike

[Fish36990]

Thanks for the info Mike...very informative

Josh

[mikej]

Here is a shot I took with a GND filter. It's the square glass type. I didn't want to put the filter holder on as the sun was going down behind clouds pretty fast behind me, so I hand held it. I adjusted it for where the darker top graduated to the lighter density bottom half while looking through my view finder. I held it up against my lens hood but you can see in the upper right corner (of the full size view) where I let it lean away from the lens hood a tiny bit, which let the light coming over my shoulder catch the corner and cause a bit of flare on the filter. I can't remember if this was with a 1.5 or 2 soft gradeant filter. Soft meaning that there isn't a hard edge between the darker area and less darker area. A hard edge GND would have a more distinct division between the light and not so lighted areas.



Mike

[dc2]

Nice pic Mike Though it looks like you have the dreaded dust specs.
I wish Canon would sort this out for us , about time they got a handle on this

[mikej]

It probably does have some dust spots, although what you think is dust spot probably isn't. This was taken with my 10D and it did need a good cleaning by the time I passed it to my wife. But they only showed up at f16 or smaller. I'll have to look, but I don't think I took this at that small of a fstop. But if I had taken it at a small fstop, the spots would show up.

Mike