advice on moving water shots

[agrumpycow]

I'm off to Scotland for a fortnight on Saturday and I'm whetting my appetite looking at photos of the area on various sites.

It reminded me of a query I had but never got round to asking:
How do I take the waterfall, etc. pics where the water is all fuzzy? I've got a newish Panasonic FZ18 and if someone could briefly tell me how in layman's terms I'd be really grateful!

[m1.carson]

Hi agrumpycow,

Just in case no-one else answers, and my knowledge of photography is non-existant, I "think" you need the fastest shutter speed and film going.

Have fun,
Max.

P.S. I still haven't knowingly seen a buzzard in this part of town.

[Bub-les]

not the fastest you need the slowest and a tripod or somewhere suitable to position the camera. Idealy you will need a shutter speed of 1 minute or slower. F stop in the region of f11 or more eg f22.
Hope that helps
Barbara

[RichBrew]

The first thing you are going to need is some sort of camera support, such as a tripod, or bean bag; it's the water you want to blur, not the rest of the image. Keeping the camera still is vital for the success of this technique. Depending on the effect you are after, a shutter speed of 1/4 second should be a good starting point, with slower speeds still for a more pronounced blur. To achieve the slow speeds, you will have to select the lowest ISO setting you have, and stop the lens down to at least f/11, or possibly f/16. Smaller apertures than this with some digital cameras will begin to degrade the image due to diffraction...I digress.

Getting these slow shutter speeds in bright light can be difficult, and in some cases, neutral density filters may be needed on the front of the lens to restrict how much light enters the lens.

Basically, it's keeping the shutter open long enough for the water to take on a milky, ethereal appearance. To some extent, it depends on how fast the water is moving, or how close you are to your subject. Since you are shooting digitally, it is probably best to experiment, and review the results in the field. It does require some trial and error, and only experience will improve your results.

RichBrew

[PMG]

Originally Posted by agrumpycow

I'm off to Scotland for a fortnight on Saturday and I'm whetting my appetite looking at photos of the area on various sites.

It reminded me of a query I had but never got round to asking:
How do I take the waterfall, etc. pics where the water is all fuzzy? I've got a newish Panasonic FZ18 and if someone could briefly tell me how in layman's terms I'd be really grateful!

Enjoy! Experiment! And come back with some cracking shots!

Pauline

[agrumpycow]

Originally Posted by PMG

Enjoy! Experiment! And come back with some cracking shots!

Pauline

Thankyou, and thanks everyone for your help

I may pop down the lock on the Thames later and have a practice snapping the weir!

One more request - can everyone do a 'sunshine dance' for me to encourage the weather to be dry over the next couple of weeks

[PMG]

Originally Posted by agrumpycow

Thankyou, and thanks everyone for your help

I may pop down the lock on the Thames later and have a practice snapping the weir!

One more request - can everyone do a 'sunshine dance' for me to encourage the weather to be dry over the next couple of weeks

Don't be discouraged - some waterfall shots will look better for dull weather and it will help with getting details into dark areas of the photo - enjoy!

Pauline

[DuncanE]

I've found anything from 1/4 second and over at f11 or more is good. then there is no right or wrong methods - just play and try and get the results you want.

I had a play 2 or 3 weeks back on holday more to practice and play with manual mode. even the static photos looked good at speeds less than 1/4 sec. However they were not the best pics ever.

It helps to have a tripod and remote shutter, but it didn't stop me having a go without on a beach. (I was banned from taking all my kit for that trip ) however I came away with a few good shots, just need to play with them on the computer now.