How to photograph water in motion
Next to the sun, water is probably the most common element found in photographs of nature. It’s not hard to see why, because our physical dependence on this magical fluid has over thousands of years created an almost spiritual reverence for it. So many pictures of waterfalls, lakes and oceans have been taken over the years, and yet there are as many variations on the theme of water as there are photographers to create them.
Shooting waterfalls at 1/60 second provide accurate documentary photographs, because the human eye records at that speed. But most of us would rather photograph waterfalls in a manner that evokes an emotion – the emotion experienced when we actually fired the shutter! For instance, taking pictures of a ferny creek in the rainforest surrounded by lush foliage will evoke a feeling of tranquility, so to transfer that feeling to film, use longer shutter speeds
Small waterfalls and gurgling streams taken with longer exposures will render water delicately, with an almost silky texture. Put your camera on a good, sturdy tripod, stop down to f22 and aim for exposures of half-a- second or more
Using a slower speed film will help, and it pays to always carry a 4 or 8 times ND filter
Cokin has a good range and because of their excellent holder system, they can be used in conjunction with other filters at the same time
For instance, you might want to polarise your water scene because of the wet foliage within your frame, so a combination of these two filters will slow your exposure nicely and reduce glare to improve your photograph
Large waterfalls often need to be photographed at faster speeds to impart a feeling of power and force. Use shutter speeds in the range of 1/125 to 1/500 second to ensure this effect
Understanding how film reacts to light will help a photographer to depart from the norm
When wet rocks and falling water are photographed in the shade on a sunny day, the scene will have a strong blue cast. On such occasions, try to isolate the bottom of the falls as water sprays over the rocks, using slower shutter speeds, rather than shooting the entire scene. Perhaps isolate the details in a large waterfall to create a unique image of a well- known and often-photographed site
Photographing lakes can be challenging as a body of water on its own does not usually make for a stimulating picture. Look for reflections, especially on calm days. To emphasise reflections, compose to contain one-third shoreline and two-thirds water. On cooler mornings, the warm waters of a lake often produce a mist of even fog. In the early morning light, such a scene could be almost monochromatic, and as the sun breaks through it will take on a pale yellow or even orange hue. If there’s any wind, patterns will emerge within your frame, so use speeds of 1/30 second or faster to capture these effects
Metering off the bright areas in shots like this will result in dark bodies of water with silver patterns and sparkles in the final image
One technique you must try involves isolating a section of fast running water in a rocky creek or river and highlighting that movement using multiple exposures. A sunny day that highlights individual splashes of water is desirable, but this technique will work in almost any light. Establish your camera on a tripod, frame your shot carefully and build multiple exposures over the same frame
Obviously, your exposure has to be calculated correctly. For example, if you meter reads f16 at half a second, take eight exposures at 1/15 second or 16 exposures at 1/30 second and so on. When combined over one frame these shorter shutter speeds will equal the longer exposure reading. Manually setting your camera is necessary and using a cable release to minimise vibrations is also a good idea
So many great images of water are yet to be taken – it’s everywhere, so get out soon and shoot it
Ian Rolfe can be contacted at ianrolfe@bigpond.com
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