Putting Painful Photos in the Past - Day 16

Hi Our tip of the day deals with creative exposure and capturing water. There's nothing more fun than photographing a waterfall or mountain stream. And there may be nothing more painful than those disappointing times when the photo doesn't convey the magic you experienced in person. Let's put that all in the past. Let's both have fun AND get the great shot. © Kerry Drager The following is a technique that will give you years of joy and hundreds of WOW photos, if you put it to use as much as I have. So let's learn how to get the shot! Capturing slow motion when photographing water: When it comes to photographing water in motion, "going with the flow" is an eye-catching approach! That means a slow shutter speed that conveys a look of fluid motion - i.e., soft and silky smoothness or "cotton candy" effect. But long exposures don't just happen. How to slow down your shutter: You'll need low light (complete overcast, deep shade, late evening, or very early morning). You'll also need a tripod to keep your camera steady. Use a cable shutter release or the camera's self-timer to prevent accidental camera movement during exposure. Select your lowest ISO number (i.e., 100 or 200). Set your camera to Aperture Priority, and choose the highest f/number to minimize the amount of light entering the lens. Make several exposures, altering your composition and orientation (remember yesterday's tip). Review your images in the LCD monitor on your camera to get a rough idea of the results, and experiment with faster or slower shutter speeds to get different results. Have fun making creative slow motion images! Thanks, Jim Miotke Founder, BetterPhoto.com P.S. Thanks again for all of your responses - I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. Thanks again for contributing and being a part of this community. I've gotten so many emails and surveys! P.P.S. I've decided to create a way for us to continue this adventure. I'll address your most frequently asked questions and continue to provide the most practical, helpful tips I've gathered over the years - in a once-a-week email for 12 weeks. More on that later. BetterPhoto.com is the worldwide leader in online photography education, offering an approachable resource for photographers who want to improve their skills, share their photos, and learn more about the art and technique of photography. Click here to opt-out of the email tip sequence from BetterPhoto.com. The sender of this email is the BetterPhoto.com, Inc., 16544 NE 79th St Redmond, WA 98052