Landscape photographers love to photograph moving water – waterfalls, rapids, even water quietly slipping over a rock.
When photographing moving water the primary exposure consideration is shutter speed. A very short shutter speed, say 1/500 sec, can produce the ‘ice sculpture’ look’ in which the water is suspended in shiny, crystal clear forms. This can be very effective and exciting. As the shutter speed is lengthened, say to 1/15 sec, the water begins to blur. First you see little short traces of each of the drops. Then as the exposure lengthens to a half second or more the traces merge together into the beautiful effects we love. Really long exposure of 2 or more seconds produce a misty effect in which nearly all texture in the water is replaced with soft clouds of light.
But how do you get the long exposures you need, especially on a bright sunny day.
Continue reading “Photography Tutorial – Moving Water”
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