"Princess" wrote in
news:ZP3Ob.135108$JQ1.12301@pd7tw1no:

Genuine HELP is requested

First off, thank you in advance those who lend their opinions, advice
and guidance. To those who critisize and complain, thank you for
reading my post.

OK, here it is. I want to know how to make water look interesting.
Moving water that is. How do I get it all soft looking. Like this
http://photo111.home.att.net/images/images/stream.jpg
or this
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/FS/fs-027...-01/stream.jpg
or
http://www.radekaphotography.com/images/Stream.jpg

I have experimented, but the results are awful. What kind of film do
you think I should use. Most of the areas or places I will be would
be forest areas, or low light areas. I use both black and white and
colour. I do use a tripod, not there is no need to remind me of that
little tidbit. Any and all help is totally appreciated. Thanks again
in advance.


The trick is to stretch out the exposure long enough to achieve the
effect you want. Some of this will depend on the speed of the water, and/or
how much of the frame it crosses in any given time period. Greater
distances usually require longer exposures, while closeups can be pretty
short. But typically, as Art said, 1/4 second or longer will produce the
effect.

To do this, you need the right speed film and the right light
conditions. You can't usually accomplish it in bright sunlight - it works
far better in open shade to deep shade. Too deep, however, and the light
goes more blue, giving a colder look.

Stop down the aperture anywhere f11 to f22. Your lens might go
further, but you might be toying with diffraction softness by using these
f-stops. Slower film is better - for something like this, you need less
light sensitivity so you can draw the shutter speed out. Do not meter off
of the water, but obtain a reading off of the rocks or foliage and use
that. The water will be too bright to give the best exposure.

A tripod is, of course, a must. Cable release or timer can help keep
the camera perfectly steady, giving you nice sharp surroundings while the
water goes cottony. Still air helps - plants won't be moving, and stiff
breezes can shake your tripod.

Take several shots at different settings, and keep track of what you
used. Over- and under-expose by a half-stop or so to see what happens (may
not make much of a difference if you use print film).

No flash. And another problem with direct sunlight is that it can
illuminate individual water droplets as they splash, giving brighter
pinpricks within your soft water, not good.

A polarizer, or a neutral density filter (both of which will darken
the scene and let the shutter speed drag out some more) can help a lot, but
aren't absolutely necessary. Getting the pic more towards dawn or dusk can
give you more acceptable lighting conditions too.

Good luck with it!



- Al.

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