Flowing water in rivers, creeks, waterfalls and still water bodies such as ponds or lakes
have become some of my favorite photography subjects.  In this article we will discuss
how to create silky water effects and brilliant water reflections.

 

 

 
©  2012 Juergen Roth.   All Rights Reserved.

Sudbury River
Camera settings f/8, 1/2 sec.

 

Part I: Silky Water Effects

 

Moving water photos provide a viewer with a feel for the river’s flow, energy and texture.  And, achieving the soft, silky effect can prove difficult, but with some practice, you will temper the movement of the water and make beautiful images.

 

Sudbury River above was one of my first of this kind.  I discovered the scene by chance on a car trip during the end of the peak fall foliage in New England.  While driving in route to one of my daughter’s soccer games, I caught a glimpse of the cobble stone bridge over the Sudbury River and committed the image to memory.

 

The next day was cloudy, providing one of the ideal conditions when photographing flowing water scenes, so I decided to go back and work the location (sunrise and twilight are also ideal).  The whites of the water’s froth, bubbles and foam create high contrast for the camera’s sensor to process, so in order to capture acceptable detail and color, soft lighting in the form of overcast skies is therefore preferable.

 

Setting the proper shutter speed will determine how soft and smooth the water will become.  Streaming waters provide the best silky shapes and patterns when longer exposure times are chosen.  Shutter speeds at around 1/15 through 1 second produce velvety effects for streams, rivers and cascading water, while waves and surfs require shutter speeds of around 1 second or more.

 

 

© 2012 Juergen Roth.  All rights reserved.   Acadia National Park Camera settings f/5.6, 1 sec.

© 2012 Juergen Roth.  All rights reserved.   Granite Coast near Thunder Hole Camera settings f/8, 1 sec.

©  2012 Juergen Roth.   All Rights Reserved.

Cape Cod Abstract
Camera settings f/8, 0.8 sec.
 
 

For optimal image quality and minimum blurriness of the surrounding landscape during the desired longer exposure times, a tripod is a must.

 

A polarizer filter not only reduces image brightness and provides longer exposure times, but also eliminates reflections from wet surfaces and increases color saturation.  Alternatively or in combination with the polarizing filter a neutral density filter or split neutral density filter can be of great use.

 

For example, in the seascape photograph of the Maine coastline in Acadia National Park below, I was challenged by difficult lighting conditions due to the bright churning waves and misty ocean spray in contrast to the darker landscape scenery of the rocky granite coastline, cove and trees.  I also wanted to create an attractive silky ocean water effect and pattern in the incoming waves.  

 

© 2012 Juergen Roth.  All Rights Reserved.

Rocky Shoreline of Acadia National Park
Camera settings f/7.1, 1 sec.

 

I first metered on the coastline near the ocean’s edge, but that resulted in the rocks, cove and trees being too dark with limited detail in their formations.  On the other hand, metering on the large tree provided decent detail in the landscape, but “blew out” the ocean, leaving it washed out.  As a solution, I went back to metering on the large tree that provided a correct exposure setting for the coastline’s foreground.  This produced a slow enough shutter speed that would be sufficient for the desired silky ocean water effect.  I hand-held a 1 stop graduated neutral density filter in front of my lens, placing it near the edge of ocean and shoreline, which reduced the incoming light from the whites of the ocean and dark rocks in the background to an amount that still showed enough detail.  This kept the trees, cove and granite coastline in the foreground correctly exposed for the highest possible image impact.

 

Fall foliage resting on rocks and boulders in streams make for fantastic images as well.