How do you capture water?

Moving Water. Crystal River, Colorado, 2012

I have been struggling with this for some time now: what exactly is the best way to capture water in my images? I already know the basics and you probably do as well:

-Use a tripod and slow shutter speeds for the silky effect.

-Use fast shutter speeds to stop the movement.

But, here are some more specifics I have been slowly learning:

1) A common error is overdoing the silky effect to the point of blowing out all detail in the water. Maybe this is your intent, maybe not, but something to think about. In the example image above, I specifically tried to maintain some detail in the water. (I used a 1/8 second shutter speed.) In the image at the end of this article, I specifically tried for a much more milky effect (Using a 10 second shutter speed.)

2) Sometimes the best approach is to freeze the movement as the silky effect can get old. You may need shutter speeds of 1/250, 1/500, or even 1/2000 to freeze the motion depending how fast and how close the water is.

3) Often, the photographer (read: me!) will forget about basic composition because the silky effect itself looks soooo cool. To make your image different, try to find interesting patterns in the flow of the water or background/edge details that add something more to your image. This will require experimentation, looking closely at how the water flows, and a study of the overall scene.

4) If the water is close and fast, you can use faster shutter speeds for the silky effect; water that is far away and slow will require slower shutter speeds.

5) Don’t forget to check your lens for water drops now and then. I have had some nice images ruined because I got too close to the waterfall and the spray wet my lens–the drops were too bad to clone out in post-processing. Use a lens cloth to keep your lens/filter clear and dry, and keep your lens cap on until you are ready to shoot.

6) To get started, try a range: 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 10 seconds…experiment! This will give you an idea of what works and what doesn’t. The slower the shutter speed, the less detail you will have in the water. Try to find the sweet spot for whatever your artistic intent might be.

7) Often you will have too much light to use the slower shutter speeds required. A polarizer can give you a few extra stops and neutral density filters can give you 1, 2, 3…up to even 9 or 10 stops. Singh-Ray makes a neutral density filter you can twist like a polarizer to change the light that enters the camera, but it is costly and vignetting can sometimes be a problem.

8) No filters? Then try shooting on overcast days, or pre-dawn, or after sunset to get those longer shutter speeds. Sunny days are not ideal–too much light and too much contrast.

Above all, don’t forget about light and composition–just because your image has that neat silky effect doesn’t mean it is an outstanding image. A super water image will nearly always also have eye-catching and unusual light, great composition, and that silky effect.

For something to aspire to, check out this impressive Galen Rowell image of Double Falls in Glacier National Park. Good luck!

Boulder Creek, Colorado, 2012