Friday, August 10, 2012

Silky water effect for waterfalls


Silky water effect


Since I started this photography blog, I might as well share some of my techniques/tips with you. I am not a professional whatsoever, so I just kind of learned by doing. I will share the way I take a certain photograph, but there may be different ways to get the same result. I will try to explain the way I set my camera and what I do to get the effect, etc...

In this post I will explain how you can get that silky effect on water. You use a slow shutter speed to get that kind of effect and this really works well for waterfalls and rivers. You can use a similar technique for other bodies of water (ocean, lake, etc...). More on that in a different post.





Camera settings for the 2 photos above:
Left photo:
*F-Number: F/10
*Exposure Time: 1/10 sec.
*ISO Speed: ISO-100
*Exposure Program: Aperture Priority (A)
*Exposure Compensation (E/V): -1 step

-->Polarizing filter was used and some post processing work done in Photoshop (little more contrast & saturation)

Right photo:
*F-Number: F/22
*Exposure Time: 1/2 sec.
*ISO Speed: ISO-100
*Exposure Program: Aperture Priority (A)
*Exposure Compensation (E/V): -2 step

-->Polarizing filter was used and some post processing work done in Photoshop (little more contrast & saturation)

How to take a photo like the one on the right: First of all it's very important that you have a tripod for such photos as you will be using a slower shutter speed. You will need a camera that allows you to change some settings, this won't work on a fully automatic camera. Most camera's that allow you to change some of the settings will have a little dial on top of the camera. Look for the "S" on the dial, this stands for "Shutter priority". Turn you camera on the "S" setting. Then you need to figure out how you can change the "S" number. Usually it's done by another little dial, move it until you see 1/10 or 1/8. You may already get some effect with 1/10, but you're better off to go for a lower number like 1/4 - 1/2 as this gives even a better result. 

I also recommend that you change the "exposure value", usually referred to as E/V or the little button with the +/- on your camera. Set this exposure value to -2.0 and I also recommend using the "timer" on your camera to avoid camera shake when pressing the shutter button.  Set the timer to 2 sec. or 10 sec. which ever one you prefer and you can start trying to take a photo. The slower the shutter speed, the better the effect on the water. You can use a polarizing filter or and ND (neutral density) filter to be able to get even a lower shutter speed. I hope this makes sense and that those who haven't tried it yet will have fun trying this out. Good luck and thank you for reading my blog! 

If any of you have questions, comments or like to share their own ideas...please leave a comment below (just click on "no comments"!

Thank you for stopping by!
Ann

Here is another examples of the silky water effect on waterfalls:




Images Copyright by Ann Badjura unless otherwise mentioned. 
Contact me by email if you are interesting in buying or using any of my images.  THANK  YOU!




Monday, August 6, 2012

Welcome to my photography blog!


Hello to everybody and welcome to my photography blog 


First of all let's start with a photo since this is going to be a blog about photos.  This sunset photo was taken during our trip to the Oregon Coast in July 2012...Enjoy!  





Okay, let's talk a little bit about me and this photo blog.  I am originally from Belgium, but moved to Vancouver, Canada in the year 2000. The beautiful scenery of West Canada really got me going although it was more like the usual vacation or snap shots at first. After participating on some photography forums I got quite some wonderful and helpful comments on my photos, I received a lot of positive feedback on how to improve my photo taking skills. That really sparked my interest in photography and I tried to "make" a better photo. I would think more about the composition, the light conditions and such, but my equipment at the time wasn't really helping with that as I had a "point & shoot" camera with no manual options. But I did the best with what I had and I must say that some photos turned out quite good.

In the late summer of 2006 I bought myself a better camera which allowed me to use more manual settings and I have been able to take better photos. Of course it was not just due to the new camera that my photos were getting better, but also due to the amazing tips and critiques I have received over time from pro and amateur photographers! In the fall of 2008 I finally got my first DSLR (Sony Alpha A200 with 10.2 megapixels) which gave me so many more options. I the summer of 2012 I bought another DSLR (Sony Alpha A57 with 16.4 megapixels) with a proper lens (Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8).  

I am no professional whatsoever, I have never taken any photography courses, but I do enjoy going out and taking photos. I mainly take photos of landscapes/scenery or any type of nature including some animals, plants, flowers, etc. I also like city scenes and since our daughter was born (May 2010) she has become my photo subject now and then too.
On this blog I will try to post some photos now and then after I have been on a little photo outing.  This can be just around our area or during our trips.  I may post some interesting stories about photography or about photographers that I admire...it will be about photography in any case! :)


If you have any interest in my photos or would like to send me a message, please click the contact tab on the top of the page!  For a selection of some of my best photos have a look at My Portfolio

Thank you for dropping by and taking the time to read my blog!
Ann



Images Copyright by Ann Badjura unless otherwise mentioned. 
Contact me by email if you are interesting in buying or using any of my images.  THANK  YOU!