Taking photos of water is one of the most pleasurable and challenging ways to photograph really exciting natural photography. The great thing about taking images of water is that you can produce some different effects each time you photograph. Some of these special effects can be smooth and flowing. Other special effects can be amazing and dramatic. It all is dependent on your lighting and your speed of the shutter.
What does lighting and shutter speed have to do with taking photos of moving water? In order to get a clear photograph of your water photograph you have to have the right level of light. Because most flowing water shots are taken outside you will be at the mercy of the weather. You will also need to be able to work with your natural light in an effective way.
Let's take a water fountain for example. Fountains in the city can provide fantastically artistic images. We can try to take pictures of them a couple of ways. We can photograph the movement of the water to give the appearance like a silky ribbon. Alternatively we can shot the flowing water so we see every drop. These two things rely heavily on your shutter speed.
A quick speed of the shutter means that you can freeze the action. This means that you will be able to distinguish every droplet of water poised in the air as it shoots out to the water fountain. You need a lot of daylight to be able to do this. You need lots of good lighting so that you can have a fast shutter.
A slow shutter means that you can slow the speed of motion. This generates what is called a silken effect. A silken effect is where your shutter slows down. The water appears like it is streaking across your photograph. You also have to carefully look at your light so that you do not over expose your photograph.
So how does this work? Let me go into more detail. The more time you have your shutter open the more light enters the sensor. And it works the other way too. The quicker your shutter the less light that you have to work with. So you must find the equilibrium between what outcome you want to create and your light.
Lets say for example you wanted to shot the water fountain. It is a dull day. Perhaps there are clouds coming and generating some overcast light. You already have in mind that you want to freeze the speed of motion of the water. You desire to be able to create a photo where you can observe each single water droplet. You know that you need a quick shutter to do this. But there is not much lighting in the picture. So how do you get a fast shutter speed (so you can freeze motion) and be able to get just the right amount of light?
The way you would do this is the following. You would decide on a very high shutter. 8000th of a second may be your first choice. However, you see that the digital camera is telling you that to shoot at the speed you are going to have a very underexposed and dark photo. This will not suffice at all. Therefore you decide on a large aperture. Remember that a large aperture will blur your background. This might be all right given the situation. So consequently you select F 4. An aperture this wide will let a lot of daylight in.
So now you are set. You have set your speed of the shutter at 8000th of a second and you have F4 as your fstop. But now there is another setback. The camera is telling you that you are still not getting adequate lighting. Is there anything else you can do? Yes there is!
This is at the point your ISO comes in. Your ISO is your light sensitivity. When you do not have enough light you can just boost your ISO. When you photograph in auto the camera will decide the ISO for you. But when you are working in manual you have to decide it yourself. If you are shooting fast flowing water on an gray day choose a high ISO. A high ISO is like getting another two or three f-stops available. This means that even though you might not be able to get extra light through your manual setting, you can get more light using ISO.
Now how about the silken effect? You won't have to use a very high ISO if you want the silken effect on a gray day. However, if you are shooting your water in a dark forest you may still should increase your ISO.
Your ISO is a handy function that gives you more light. Just remember the key to shots of moving water is light and shutter. Your shutter speed captures the movement of water, your aperture and ISO can take care of the light for you.
What does lighting and shutter speed have to do with taking photos of moving water? In order to get a clear photograph of your water photograph you have to have the right level of light. Because most flowing water shots are taken outside you will be at the mercy of the weather. You will also need to be able to work with your natural light in an effective way.
Let's take a water fountain for example. Fountains in the city can provide fantastically artistic images. We can try to take pictures of them a couple of ways. We can photograph the movement of the water to give the appearance like a silky ribbon. Alternatively we can shot the flowing water so we see every drop. These two things rely heavily on your shutter speed.
A quick speed of the shutter means that you can freeze the action. This means that you will be able to distinguish every droplet of water poised in the air as it shoots out to the water fountain. You need a lot of daylight to be able to do this. You need lots of good lighting so that you can have a fast shutter.
A slow shutter means that you can slow the speed of motion. This generates what is called a silken effect. A silken effect is where your shutter slows down. The water appears like it is streaking across your photograph. You also have to carefully look at your light so that you do not over expose your photograph.
So how does this work? Let me go into more detail. The more time you have your shutter open the more light enters the sensor. And it works the other way too. The quicker your shutter the less light that you have to work with. So you must find the equilibrium between what outcome you want to create and your light.
Lets say for example you wanted to shot the water fountain. It is a dull day. Perhaps there are clouds coming and generating some overcast light. You already have in mind that you want to freeze the speed of motion of the water. You desire to be able to create a photo where you can observe each single water droplet. You know that you need a quick shutter to do this. But there is not much lighting in the picture. So how do you get a fast shutter speed (so you can freeze motion) and be able to get just the right amount of light?
The way you would do this is the following. You would decide on a very high shutter. 8000th of a second may be your first choice. However, you see that the digital camera is telling you that to shoot at the speed you are going to have a very underexposed and dark photo. This will not suffice at all. Therefore you decide on a large aperture. Remember that a large aperture will blur your background. This might be all right given the situation. So consequently you select F 4. An aperture this wide will let a lot of daylight in.
So now you are set. You have set your speed of the shutter at 8000th of a second and you have F4 as your fstop. But now there is another setback. The camera is telling you that you are still not getting adequate lighting. Is there anything else you can do? Yes there is!
This is at the point your ISO comes in. Your ISO is your light sensitivity. When you do not have enough light you can just boost your ISO. When you photograph in auto the camera will decide the ISO for you. But when you are working in manual you have to decide it yourself. If you are shooting fast flowing water on an gray day choose a high ISO. A high ISO is like getting another two or three f-stops available. This means that even though you might not be able to get extra light through your manual setting, you can get more light using ISO.
Now how about the silken effect? You won't have to use a very high ISO if you want the silken effect on a gray day. However, if you are shooting your water in a dark forest you may still should increase your ISO.
Your ISO is a handy function that gives you more light. Just remember the key to shots of moving water is light and shutter. Your shutter speed captures the movement of water, your aperture and ISO can take care of the light for you.
About the Author:
Amy Renfrey is a professional photography teacher. She is the author of several photography ebooks and a monthly photography emagazine. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time, even if you have never used a digital camera before. Click here to learn photography the easy way.
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