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02/28/2005 07:51:08 PM · #1 |
Water Photography Question
My wife and I have a running debate on which is the better style of photography for water in motion (rivers, waterfalls, ocean waves): frozen motion or fluid motion. Which do you prefer and why? I write to inquire from veteran DPC photographers your opinion concerning water photography. What shutter speed do you aim for in shooting water in motion?
In my estimation, water photography seem to fall into one of two camps.
1) Freeze Frame photography: utilizing a fast shutter speed, catching individual water droplets in âfrozenâ motion.
2) Fluid Frame photography: utilizing a shower shutter speed, blurring the water movement into a dynamic or âfluidâ white motion.
I wonder if these two camps also represent two larger outlooks on life. Compare the âFreeze Frameâ Worldview to the âFluid Motionâ Worldview:
⢠Linear view of life versus Cyclical view of life;
⢠Punctilious Lifestyle (precise behavior guided by prompt timekeeping) versus Dynamic Lifestyle (âgo with the flowâ behavior guided by passions and experience of life);
⢠Goal-oriented versus Process-oriented;
⢠Objective-Evaluative versus Subjective-Experiential;
⢠Intellectual versus Intuitional;
⢠Particle Theory of light versus Wave Theory of light.
⢠Shoes in neat ordered pairs on the floor of your closet versus Shoes in a heap on the floor of your closet (or spread all over your house).
Of course, water like people like life itself doesnât neatly fit Either/Or categorizations. Water is both droplet and fluid motion, just as light is both particle and wave. Yet, when it comes to the specific challenge of shooting water in motion, it seems we are forced to make an either/or choice.
In the world of photography, what have you found helpful in capturing water in motion?
My wife and I will enjoy hearing your answers.
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02/28/2005 08:44:45 PM · #2 |
| The choice to limit yourself to shooting water (or any subject) in only two styles speaks more about who you are than which of those styles you choose to use. |
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02/28/2005 08:58:30 PM · #3 |
I didn't bother to read the whole post, but I would simply say shoot the water in both styles. Usually if it's darker I'll just naturally use a longer exposure time to get in enough light, and if it's really bright I'll shoot it faster. But if I have the oppurtunity to shoot it in both styles I'll go for it.
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02/28/2005 09:13:20 PM · #4 |
I think it depends on the subject and the effect that you're trying to achieve. The slow shutter speed works better with smaller streams, either cascading over rocks or down a falls. With big water, for instance Niagara Falls, I think that freezing the motion works better. Hmmm... come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a really large waterfall photographed with a slow shutter speed. Maybe I would like it. Never mind.
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02/28/2005 09:15:43 PM · #5 |
I think it depends what you want to make the water look like. For example a small stream could use a slow shutter speed to seem peaceful, but Niagara falls would use a fast one to show the true power behind it.
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02/28/2005 09:16:19 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by bledford:
The choice to limit yourself to shooting water (or any subject) in only two styles speaks more about who you are than which of those styles you choose to use. |
I'm a newbie photographer. What other "styles" do you work with in shooting water in motion? It is not a matter of "limiting myself to shooting in only two styles" but understanding a new artform and the technical aspects of this artform. When it comes to sitting at the piano, I have a dozen styles of music at my fingertips to play from memory. I've been playing piano for 40 years. I've been shooting photos of water for 40 days.
Thanks to BK26 for your simple idea. |
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02/28/2005 09:39:01 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by micknewton:
I think it depends on the subject and the effect that you're trying to achieve. The slow shutter speed works better with smaller streams, either cascading over rocks or down a falls. With big water, for instance Niagara Falls, I think that freezing the motion works better. |
--Thanks Michael. |
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02/28/2005 11:25:19 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by bledford:
The choice to limit yourself to shooting water (or any subject) in only two styles speaks more about who you are than which of those styles you choose to use. |
I don't think he's limiting his options so much as he's observing that the category basically divides into these two camps or styles. Then he's making an interesting philosophical equation of "lifestyles" versus "water styles" that may or may not (pardon the pun) hold water.
While I'm as philosophical as the next guy, being a poet and all, I'm not sure I'd go that far. It seems to me the issue is what you're trying to portray. You can also name these categories "power" and "flow", and it seems to me which method you use is determined by both the subject and the result you are after.
For example, "surf": There's very little point in photographing big waves at slow shutter speeds, they just become a non-wave. Big waves = power, so freeze 'em and show the power, this would be the "normal" approach.
Waterfalls, they can go either way; freeze 'em for power or blur 'em for flow.
Streams, or little waves lapping the beach, these seem to cry out for softening, for blur, because this tends to be the feeling they impart.
A more pertinent question might be, "Which do yous eek out?" Do yous eek the power, the grand gesture, or do you seek the serenity, the inner flow of things?
Robt.
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02/28/2005 11:28:43 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
A more pertinent question might be, "Which do yous eek out?" Do yous eek the power, the grand gesture, or do you seek the serenity, the inner flow of things?
Robt. |
Depends on the day and my mood.
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02/28/2005 11:31:56 PM · #10 |
There ya go. That would be my answer as well. I ain't gonna get nailed into either of those coffins without a fight.
Robt.
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03/01/2005 01:22:55 AM · #11 |
Cool stuff Robert. I was at a great location for a photo shoot last weekend and found myself fumbling around trying to figure out what to do with all that dynamic beauty in front of me. You've offered some fine guidelines. Thanks for the help.
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03/01/2005 02:05:46 AM · #12 |
| While I am not a veteran of DPC, I do have a degree in photography so i hope you don't mind me giving my opinion. I think that it is better to shoot water both ways everytime. Even huge waves on a long shutter can give you the feeling calm and beauty and will look almost surreal. I think that most people choose one or the other based on the lighting situation. I think it is good to be prepared with your neutral density filters so that you do not limit yourself. |
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03/01/2005 02:15:50 AM · #13 |
Wow!, wave theory or particle theory, getting pretty deep there, as you might know neither wave or particle theory is complete by itself, you need both, maybe that should be your clue, but then I am a bit uncertain about that.
For me I like the long exposures but I shoot the short ones. |
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03/02/2005 01:33:06 AM · #14 |
| Great stuff scottwilson and jmoore. Thanks for the input. What is a "neutral density filter"? |
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03/02/2005 01:36:21 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by charliebaker:
Great stuff scottwilson and jmoore. Thanks for the input. What is a "neutral density filter"? |
A neutral density filter is simply a dark filter that does not change the color, just darkens things. This is useful if you want to have a long exposure in bright light. |
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03/02/2005 05:22:48 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by charliebaker:
Great stuff scottwilson and jmoore. Thanks for the input. What is a "neutral density filter"? |
//www.danheller.com/images/FAQ/Tech/Long/img7.html
That was a 30 second exposure in broad daylight with a 5 stop ND filter.
Message edited by author 2005-03-02 17:23:52. |
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