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Photo Tips & Techniques

H 2 OHHHH - Great Water Shots by Russ Burden Russ Burden offers tips on the best way to capture water in any form - ice, liquid, or gas Article rating: 9.08

Scientifically, water exists in three states. It can be solid in the form of ice, liquid as it’s most commonly associated, and gas in the form of steam. It can be docile as in a softly flowing woodland stream or aggressive as hurricane force waves pounding a shore. As ice, it can take on beautifully crystalized patterns and as a gas, prehistoric shapes in clouds or rising steam. Regardless of its state, it makes a great subject. Use the following tips and techniques to help you get better images that contain various forms of water.

Emphasize The Motion:  Depending on the shutter speed with which water is photographed, it can be made to take on different moods. A waterfall shot at 1/1000th of a second will depict every drop frozen in time and provide the viewer of the image with a statement of power. The same composition photographed using a long shutter speed of one second, will convey peace and tranquility as the water softly cascades down rocks, navigates wildflower islands, and paints the sensor with “cotton candy” water. In order to photograph the scene using a fast shutter speed, it may be necessary to boost the ISO on the camera. Conversely, to create the shot using a slow shutter speed, lower the ISO and use neutral density filters of varying strengths until you get the shutter speed and effect you want. Use the LCD on the back of the camera to preview your results and make changes accordingly.

Polarize It: Use a polarizer to remove glare from the rocks and vegetation. In that you’re in an area that’s wet, water sits on the peripheral compositional elements and will be revealed as bright spot distractions. The polarizer will cut through this glare revealing the color and detail that sits under these wet areas. The result is greater saturation and fewer highlights to pull your eye away from the main subject. The effect is seen through the viewfinder as you spin the polarizer making the proper rotation of the filter easy to reconcile.

Work the Composition:  When you are composing the image, reduce the number of elements so the focal point becomes the action, shape, color, or form of the water. Try to incorporate balance with related items in the environment. In the photo of the crashing wave along the coast of Oregon, the sea stack in the upper right is needed to balance the action of the wave taking place in the lower left. In the shot of the waterfall, the rocks on both the left and right of the composition balance each other as the main flow of water runs at a diagonal across the center.

Use the Light:  Many photographers profess to photograph water in overcast light as the overall exposure will be more pleasing due to the soft light overcast skies produce. While I totally agree with this philosophy, it doesn’t mean that I don’t photograph states of water on sunny days. As a matter of fact, I love the challenge. Meter for the highlights and let the shadows fall where they may. The scene’s contrast may be too much for the sensor to handle and if so, I move on to a new situation and try again. There will be circumstances down the road where all the elements fall into place. Additionally, I encourage you to photograph ice in bright sun as it creates specular highlights that act as focal points. Frozen crystals along a stream bed make great subjects as do icicles. A carefully placed specular highlight can mean the difference between a throw away and a photo that gets hung on the wall.

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my new book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.

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	Beautiful photos with a great lesson for taking pictures of water. Love it! Posted by: Kathy H May 28, 2008 @ 6:19 PM EST
	would you please make the test larger so it is easier to read... Posted by: Martin Oberg May 28, 2008 @ 6:48 PM EST
	Oh Russ your shots of the Oregon coast remind me of the days when I was a kid growing up in Portland and how we would drive to the beach to climb the rocks so thanks for making me remember the 60's were such a great time. Posted by: Mike Crow May 28, 2008 @ 7:19 PM EST
	Great article. Makes photography look easy. I know the talent behind this great work. Thank you sharing with us your beautiful work Posted by: Melinda Wilburn May 28, 2008 @ 10:18 PM EST
	Thank you for sharing your beautiful work. Posted by: Melinda Wilburn May 28, 2008 @ 10:20 PM EST
	Thanks for sharing this lesson - I've wanted to learn how to take beautiful pictures of water like the ones above. Thanks again for sharing the wealth...... Posted by: Denise Johnson May 28, 2008 @ 10:53 PM EST

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