Camera Settings?

Dogdots

I have tried to take pictures of the dam here in town and am having problems getting the settings right to make the water looks so smooth and silky.

Could someone give me a start in the settings?

OsirisPhoto

You'll need a long-ish shutter time, say 1/50s or more (the more the silkier ). You may have too much light available, so set the ISO to 100, or minimum value, and use a small aperture (large f-stop number) say about 11 to 22. If you are shooting the sky as well as the water, a graduated filter would be a good idea

There are plenty of examples around.. Antonio from Portugal posted some nice shots recently.

Oh... don't forget the tripod

Dogdots

Thank you for the start. I will try it out. I came close once, but couldn't remember what my camera was set on .

LiquidAir

To get really silky water requires shutter speed of several seconds. During the daytime you wont be able to get a shutter speed long enough without neutral density filters. Normal exposure for direct sun is around 1/50 of a second at f/22 and ISO 100. To extend your shutter speed to 1 second will require 6 stops worth of neutral density filters. If you don't have neutral density filters, the easiest answer is to shoot at night under a full moon.

SloYerRoll

Dogdots wrote:

I have tried to take pictures of the dam here in town and am having problems getting the settings right to make the water looks so smooth and silky.

Could someone give me a start in the settings?

Steps for the best chances at agood shot.

• Depending on how silky you want your water.. I'd start the shutter speed around 1s+ and have the aperture set to f27 (or higher) per sunny 16 rule. You may still need an ND filter for this long of an exposure so you don't blow out the shot.
• Get the exposure down before you worry about composition.
• be very still and having your tripod on a solid foundation is critical here. Even walking around when your shutter is open can cause camera shake.
• if you don't have a cable release. Compose your shot and set the timer to whatever (5s). This will make sure you don't have camera shake from letting go of the shutter button.
• Compose the shot. Try different angles and really look at the scene. i.e. Is that tree helping the shot? No, zoom in a bit to get it out of frame. Is that old drinking well in the distance helping the shot? Yes, make sure to keep that in frame.

These shots are not hard to get good results. They are hard to master though. It won't take but a few frames and you will have some results you'll be happy with. It may be allot longer before you find that perfect water blur shot.

hope this helps,
-Jon

wxwax

You really can't do it without a Neutral Density filter.

All those smooth water shots you see are possible because the photographer put a ND filter on their lens.

Once you investigate ND filters, your next question is likely to be: which ND filter works best? To which the answer is, if you want smooth water, might as well get a 10, no reason not to.

Grainbelt

LiquidAir wrote:

If you don't have neutral density filters, the easiest answer is to shoot at night under a full moon.

checks phase of moon and forecast

:cry

aktse

Grainbelt wrote:

checks phase of moon and forecast

With very long exposures, you'll probably blow out everything during the day time. The ND's will basically darken everything in the fame and allows you to use longer exposures. If you dont' have NDs, wait until it's dark. This way, you won't worry about letting too much light in since it's already dark.

Day Time Sun = Bright
NDs = Makes the image darker (reduce amount of light that comes into the lens)

Long Exposure = Allows lots of light in
Short Exposure = Captures less light

Bright(day) + Less light == possible nice exposure
Bright(day) + More Light == a blown out image
Bright(day) + Dark Filter + More Light == possible nice exposure
Darkness(night) + Less Light == under exposed photo
Darkness(night) + More light == possible nice exposure

When was this photo taken? This is straight from the camera, unedited...




:hide
sorry. i'm a geek.

OsirisPhoto

wxwax wrote:

You really can't do it without a Neutral Density filter.

Depends on how fast the water is flowing...


Shot using ISO200 film, ?shutter / aperture.. but it was hand held.

Dogdots

When was this photo taken? This is straight from the camera, unedited...



Was this taken on a really bright day around 2'ish?

SloYerRoll

Hyperbaric wrote:

Depends on how fast the water is flowing...


Shot using ISO200 film, ?shutter / aperture.. but it was hand held.

Wxwax was speaking in reference to the really smooth water shots. To get the really glassy look. You have to have an ND filter or shoot at night like LiquidAir said.

SloYerRoll

aktse wrote:

:hide
sorry. i'm a geek.

NOTHING wrong w/ knowing your gear and how to use it effectively. Good post to show a budding photographer what does what.

SloYerRoll

Dogdots wrote:

Was this taken on a really bright day around 2'ish?

Looks like a bright day which would be a short shutter speed. But then you look at the motion blur in the leaves on some of the trees though.... hmmmmmm.

OsirisPhoto

SloYerRoll wrote:

Wxwax was speaking in reference to the really smooth water shots. To get the really glassy look. You have to have an ND filter or shoot at night like LiquidAir said.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying that ND filters weren't a great thing to have, just not absolutely required. I've shot fast flowing water in overcast conditions without one.

wxwax

Hyperbaric wrote:

Depends on how fast the water is flowing...


Shot using ISO200 film, ?shutter / aperture.. but it was hand held.

That's a lovely shot.

But it doesn't have the smooth, silky look that Dogdots is after.

You really can't get that look without an ND.

aktse

aktse wrote:

When was this photo taken? This is straight from the camera, unedited...

SloYerRoll wrote:

Looks like a bright day which would be a short shutter speed. But then you look at the motion blur in the leaves on some of the trees though.... hmmmmmm.

And it was *very* windy

Hint:
Dean (CWphotos) took a similar image, but I think he took it before I did and was a few meters down from the spot that I picked... and I like his composition better due to a better angle and less clouds in the sky. Plus, he did a first rate job in post to bring out the details...

Any more guesses?

Dogdots

You took this just before sunset.

Dogdots

Can you explain the HD filter to excatly what it does. I was doing the dam pictures and working my rear off trying to get the sliky look. Took it into be developed and they were wondering how I did it with out the filter. I got the comment--"oh you can get a filter and do this". I felt stupid
PS--my picture was not good--in fact I tossed it

StevenV

sunglasses for your lens.

seriously - the problem is too much light, so the filter is turning the brightness of the sun down to a level that will let you use the (long) shutter you want.

SloYerRoll

Dogdots wrote:

Can you explain the HD filter to excatly what it does. I was doing the dam pictures and working my rear off trying to get the sliky look. Took it into be developed and they were wondering how I did it with out the filter. I got the comment--"oh you can get a filter and do this". I felt stupid
PS--my picture was not good--in fact I tossed it

In laymans terms.
It reduces the ammount of light that hits the sensor w/o changing the color or anything else.

i.e. Set your camera up on manual and expose a shot so it is "properly exposed".
Put a 2 stop ND (Neutral density) filter on your camera. Leave the settings exactly like they were in the first shot. Your shot will be underexposed by two stops.

Make sense?

-Jon

Dogdots

Makes sense. Weird tho, but makes sense. Oh no, I'm starting to think like a camera

Steven when you mentioned sunglasses for you lens I kinda had to chuckle. Because someone once told me if I had any of those sunglasses from the 70's I could put that in front of my lens.

wxwax

Dogdots wrote:

Oh no, I'm starting to think like a camera

All it does is force you to take a longer exposure. And when you take a long exposure of water, it all blurs together and gets nice and silky smooth.

aktse

Dogdots wrote:

You took this just before sunset.

Actually, it was taken about 11:30 pm at night at Many Glaciers during the shootout and one of the last shots that I took (ISO 400, f/4, 30s). There was a full moon that night, but was actually quite dark since the sky was filled with clouds (incoming storm). I started the night off at ISO 100 (underexposed) and kept checking the historgrams until I found the sweet spot.

I selected this image to illustrate Liquid Air's comment that you don't need a ND filter for long exposure shots -- just shoot under a full moon. Even without the filter, you can still take long exposure shots for the silky water effect -- just wait for sun to set.

Just remember that a tripod is very handy for this...

Scott_Quier

aktse wrote:

(ISO 400, f/4, 30s).

Just remember that a tripod is very handy for this...

April, you are so funny!

OsirisPhoto

wxwax wrote:

That's a lovely shot.

But it doesn't have the smooth, silky look that Dogdots is after.

You really can't get that look without an ND.

Cheers Wxwax Like I said, not a very good example of smooth water flow.

Here's an example I've pulled from the depths of my archive that I think illustrates better that if the water is really going some speed (as I'm thinking it would from a dam) and it's not a bright day, then modest shutter speeds can be used even without a filter. This was 1/4s at f/22 ISO400 - with exposure actually increased a full stop in ACR. Plenty of latitude for slower shutter speed. Please look past the camera shake - it was never intended to be a posted shot.



But, again, I'm not for a second saying that ND filters aren't a really, really, really good idea! Just making a teeny point.

Dogdots

aktse...11:30 at night---wow.

I was two blocks from a waterfall last night--around 10'ish-- it was misty foggy and......I thought about going to take the picture. I should have right?

In fact right now I'm about 2 miles from the waterfall and it is raining, cloudy and maybe a good time? I should just get off my rear and do it, but I have no protection for my camera.

Hyperbaric, you were so kind to pull a picture from the past and show it. That is that silky look I want to get. Cloudy days should be able to substitute for dark skys I would think.

----Mary

wxwax

Dogdots wrote:

aktse...11:30 at night---wow.

I was two blocks from a waterfall last night--around 10'ish-- it was misty foggy and......I thought about going to take the picture. I should have right?

In fact right now I'm about 2 miles from the waterfall and it is raining, cloudy and maybe a good time? I should just get off my rear and do it, but I have no protection for my camera.

Hyperbaric, you were so kind to pull a picture from the past and show it. That is that silky look I want to get. Cloudy days should be able to substitute for dark skys I would think.

----Mary

Put a baggy on your camera and you'll be fine.

I don't see why you should have to limit your water shooting to cloudy days and midnight. They're not giving away ND filters, but they're not that expensive.

Dogdots

Wxwax beautiful picture What time of day did you take this?

I grabbed the laundry bag from the hotel room for my camera. I need to check out by noon then I'm on my way. Its going to be cloudy and rainy all day here.

I will post a picture if I get a picture---good or bad.

I just have to figure out how to do it here.

--Mary

wxwax

Thanks Mary. It was in the early evening.

If you're in a hotel room with an ice bucket, you might also be able to use the plastic bag that lines the ice bucket.

Good luck!

Dogdots

I grabbed a bag, but didn't need it. I think I may have gotten a handle on taking these pictures.

I want to post one here, but I don't have an url to do so. Is there any other way to post a picture?

I did have dust bunnies--- . ISH!!!!!

OsirisPhoto

Dogdots wrote:

I grabbed a bag, but didn't need it. I think I may have gotten a handle on taking these pictures.

I want to post one here, but I don't have an url to do so. Is there any other way to post a picture?

I did have dust bunnies--- . ISH!!!!!

After clicking 'reply' and typing your text, click 'manage attachments'.. then browse to your image on your drive.

Look forward to seeing the photo