Some Silky Water Shots

redleash

We don't have any waterfalls nearby, at least none that are more than 2 feet high. :rofl There is one section of the Riverwalk that has a few rocks and some "rapids" so I went there to try to achieve the silky water technique that I've seen so many folks do. I got a couple I was happy with, plus there was an egret who stayed for about 20 mins and let me get lots of shots off. I'll post one in Wildlife once I process the bird shots.

I was using Auto exp so the apertures got pretty small on some of them. No real long exposures, nothing over 1 sec and those lost too much detail in the splash. I need more practice. Additional C&C is welcomed, plus any tips.

Thanks,
Lauren

1. The "rapids" with B&W conversion - 70-300 lens at 185mm, f/20, .4 sec


2. Same shot in color


3. A closeup - 70-300 at 300mm, f/13, .5 sec


4. Different closeup view - 260mm, f/10, 1/5 sec


5. Abstract

jnsuffolk

Ive tried this a few times. Its really hard. At least for me. I bought a nd filter for this very purpose. with it you can really get a long exp and not loose detail.

adbsgicom

Not silky, but I like that first one showing the movement very nicely. Your abstract is very good, and I think a good candidate for b/w as well.

tiggrtoo

I really like the abstract. It has a nice feel to it.

eL eSs Vee

Very nice! And your abstract shot is beautiful!

When I do this, my exposure range is usually anywhere from 1/30th of a second to 2 seconds. The longer your exposure, the silkier the shot. I've seen beach shots from England with exposure times up to about 30 seconds. Exposures that long make the surf look like a low fog.

NorthernFocus

The abstract shot is really cool. I've tried to do something similar a few times without success. Nice job

The others are what I'd call betwixt and between. Not truly silky but not frozen motion either. In my (very) limited experience, there is no single answer on what shutter speed creates that silky look. It depends on how fast the water is moving, how agitated it is, how far away you are, etc. As already mentioned, and ND filter gives you more flexibility to get your shutter speed down.

Water is a really fun subject because of all of the different things you can do with it.

thomasrtucker

Love the abstract and would like to see it B&W too.

Might I suggest that if you want the real silky look and don't want to invest in ND filters, try going at night. Set your aperture as high as you can get it (18, 22+) and shoot in aperture priority mode. You'll find, depending on how well lit the area is, you can get 30+ second exposures. Be sure to use a tripod though.

Sam

These are very nice! Silky is all relative. Some images beg for detail in the water, others scream for a smooth ethereal look.

Play and enjoy.

Sam

Dogdots

Wonderful photos, but your Abstract is really good. I like the movement and the color in it

Azzaro

Hi Lauren.........It's a really good series......I like your abstract, but would like to see it in B/W......Of the first two, I like the color one a little bit better.
WELL DONE, LAUREN!!!!!! azzaro

redleash

Thanks, all! I have ND filter on my Christmas wish list already . . . they were really talked up at the Acadia Shootout and I could definitely see the reason why.

Water is indeed fun to play with as a subject. I'm working on a long-term project so I'm sure you'll be seeing more.

Here is the B&W ya'll suggested. Which do you like better? Also a couple more water shots I took on a different section of the Riverwalk yesterday.

1. Abstract B&W conversion done in Adobe Camera Raw


2. Abstract B&W conversion done in PS CS4


3. Another abstract of sorts - shot at 220mm, f/40, 5sec


4. There wasn't much color to this shot so I went straight to a B&W conversion - it was a 2sec exposure

Dogdots

Oh I really like 3# -- the water coming off the rock looks like it's actually coming out of the edge of the rock. Cool look

Richard

I like the abstract as well, but I don't much care for the B&W idea. Instead, I would try radically changing the colors in PS. The lines and textures are great but the color of the original is kind of bland. Since it's an abstract, there's no reason the final colors have to look like water at all. Just a suggestion.

redleash

Abstract in Color
Here's one for Richard--I colorized it in Topaz Adjust, which made for multiple colors and tones, rather than a single color that I got in a straight PS conversion.

Jack'll do

Hi Lauren

Nice series here. I particularly like #2 and #4. The abstract suffers I think from the fact that the color is rather drab. OOOPS... I see you've modified it in a subsequent post here. That's much better.

redleash

Thanks, Jack. I'm going to try the abstract in other colors also. Thanks for stopping in to look.

Lauren

NeilL

#5 fascinating

Neil

redleash

Thanks, Neil

Snowgirl

You've been having fun! These are really excellent and I love the topaz conversion.

redleash

Thanks, Ceci!