Water-endless possibilities

This is my personal favorite area of photography, water. There are so many different things you can do with water. There are endless possibilities!

My superlative photographs are the waterfall and creek pictures where the water is so smooth and silky that it appears to be a painting rather than a photograph. I didn't know how you accomplish that and assumed that it was just high-tech cameras. Recently I learned how it is done. It is actually quite simple, instead of using a normal shutter speed which captures every detail of the rippling water, you use 1/2 a second or longer to get that smooth, silky effect. Of course this requires a tripod to avoid blurring the rest of the photo.

However, not always does a scenic waterfall and the perfect lighting come as a package deal. In that case you may want to alter the shutter speed. A longer shutter speed lets in more light; a shorter shutter speed lets in less light. You can also change the aperture.

Aperture is the opening in the camera's lens that allows light to enter into the camera.
Aperture is measured in f-stops; because f-stops are in fractions and ratios the bigger the f-stop, the less light is let in, the smaller the f-stop the more light that is let into the camera. So when taking pictures of waterfalls, creeks, and other things that require longer shutter speeds, try to find a balance between aperture and shutter speed.

When you find a water scene that is to your liking, experiment with different shutter speeds, f-stops, angles, lighting, and other settings on your camera. There is more than one way to capture a certain scene. Experiment, you might be surprised with the results!