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Moving water has become one of my favorite objects. These scenes are difficult to photograph but make for beautiful subjects. Sudbury River was one of my first of this kind. I first discovered the scene on a trip to one of my daugther's soccer games. The Fall foliage peak was almost over. When we came around the corner in our car I caught a glimpse of the bridge with the Sudbury river and committed the image to memory. Needless to say we won the game. Although the next day was overcast I decided to go back and work the object. Climbing down to the river was quite a hassle and adventure because of the slippery rocks and boulders but worth while. Turns out that overcast or twilight conditions are the most important ingredients when photographing moving water.
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Shutter speed determines the silky effects. Short exposures freeze the water and often translates into less favorable images.
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On the other hand, streaming waters provide wonderful silky shapes and patterns when longer exposure times are chosen.
A tripod for optimal image quality and minimum blurriness of the surrounding landscape during the longer exposure times is a must. The use of a polarizer filter eliminates reflections from wet surfaces and increases color saturation. The polarizer also reduces image brightness and provides longer exposure times, if needed.
Shutter speeds at around 1/2 through 1/15 of a second produce velvety and silky effects for streams, rivers and cascading water. Waves and surfs require shutter speeds around 1 second or more.
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Great, informative articale as usual...Excellent photographs,
ReplyDeleteThank you Veronica!
ReplyDeleteWhat about using a ND filter instead of a polarizer to extend shutter speed...
ReplyDeleteND filter works perfectly fine too. I start out with the polarizer to bump up colors and saturation. The polarizing filter also eliminates unwanted glare when used correctly ... sometimes both are a good combination. Thanks for commenting ... like to read more >>> http://www.apogeephoto.com/feb2012/jroth22012.shtml
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