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Watertrails a first attempt

Discussion in 'Scenic, Architecture, and Travel' started by Ian_Holmes, May 21, 2010.

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  1. Ian_Holmes

    Ian_Holmes Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Mar 27, 2010
    Minnesota
    Like the title says this afternoon I had my first attempt a photographing long exposure water trails. The afternoon was cloudy all were shot at ISO 100 f/22 200mm on my PL 45-200 with an ND2 filter on the front even then the slowest shutter speed I could get was about half a second. So the trails aren't as "ghostly" as I'd like but for a first attempt I can't complain. I expect the ghostliness of the train depends on the volume of water, speed of water as well as the shutter speed. So all in all I'm quite satisfied with a first attempt.
    watertrail_04.
    watertrail_03.
    watertrail_01.
    watertrail_02.
     
    Ian_Holmes, May 21, 2010
    #1
  2. cosinaphile

    cosinaphile Mu-43 All-Pro

    1,123
    Dec 26, 2009
    new york city
    try at dawn or dusk or as the light fails toward evening for some longer exposures , but these are nice ... i bet 15 sec to 30 sec would net you some ghostly water
     
    cosinaphile, May 21, 2010
    #2
  3. Bokeh Diem

    Bokeh Diem Mu-43 Top Veteran

    655
    Mar 14, 2010
    Toronto
    Very nice effect, especially the last shot, notwithstanding your technical difficulties.

    Bokeh Diem
     
    Bokeh Diem, May 21, 2010
    #3
  4. Ian_Holmes

    Ian_Holmes Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Mar 27, 2010
    Minnesota
    Thanks!
    The location is only 10-15 minutes down the road I might just go back right now.
     
    Ian_Holmes, May 21, 2010
    #4
  5. PeterB666

    PeterB666 Mu-43 Top Veteran

    780
    Jan 14, 2010
    Tura Beach, Australia
    Peter
    Quite good. I find some of the rocks not particularly sharp. Possibly you need to stop down a bit for more depth of field.

    I find the last one the best. The rocks look fairly sharp all the way though and you have a nice cascading feature of the mini-falls. Although there is less watertrails and less rocks, I find that the most interesting shot.

    For lighting, a overcast day works just nice. Too much dynamic range if the sun is out.

    Have fun and post some of the next lot.
     
    PeterB666, May 21, 2010
    #5
  6. Ian_Holmes

    Ian_Holmes Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Mar 27, 2010
    Minnesota
    A second attempt

    So as the location is only 11 minutes down the road Fired up with reckless enthusiasm I headed back.
    watertrail_05.
    watertrail_06.
    watertrail_07.
    watertrail_08.
    Now reckless enthusiasm is NOT a good thing because I forget everything I know. Good stuff like use the self timer to release the shutter. I blew the first half a dozen shots like that they were shaky.
    I'm also looking at some of these close up and I'm thinking that perhaps I should have manually focussed as well rather than rely on auto. In the fading light I was getting exposure times of 1.5 seconds which has given me more of what I was looking for. I'm definitely really pleased with the way these have gone. Thanks for the advice
     
    Ian_Holmes, May 21, 2010
    #6
  7. cosinaphile

    cosinaphile Mu-43 All-Pro

    1,123
    Dec 26, 2009
    new york city
    really nice , and great to see this evolution of shots almost in real time .....this forum is like a living university of photography and comparative shooting , thanks for sharing this
     
    cosinaphile, May 21, 2010
    #7
  8. ryno

    ryno Mu-43 Rookie

    14
    Apr 6, 2010
    Minneapolis
    Nice Ian, where are those falls at?
    B+W makes a nice ND1.6, it's easy to get 1-2 sec any time of day.
    Ryan
     
    ryno, May 21, 2010
    #8
  9. Ian_Holmes

    Ian_Holmes Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Mar 27, 2010
    Minnesota
    Falls?
    That's a bit of an exaggeration. It's the outfall from Elk Lake south of Princeton, MN.
    I'm definitely guilty of making it look more than it is...

    Ian
     
    Ian_Holmes, May 22, 2010
    #9