Shutter Speeds and Moving Water

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Shutter Speeds and Moving Water

Seems kind of crazy to actually TRY to create an intentional blur.

But, for nature photography, this is a fairly common goal. And, there's a few specific conditions that need to exist for the results to be acceptable.

The first thing that I'm looking for is a nice waterfall or cascade that has a fairly even mix of tonal values within the water. Too much white water, and you'll end up with completely blown out highlights...and with no variation in the tonal values, and as a result, there will be no sense of movement.

Another necessary characteristic in the scene is for the overall light to be fairly dim, and of a very soft quality. If the brightness level is very high, it will be difficult to shoot at the long shutter speeds necessary to create the desired blurred effect.

Start by setting the ISO to 100, or the lowest your camera allows. This decreased sensitivity will give you an automatically longer shutter speed.

And, in most situations, I'll stop the aperture down to 16 or 22 to force the shutter to stay open longer. Remember, these can be varied as needed, to target the correct shutter speed.

I've found that in most situations, for this technique, I'm shooting in open shade or very heavy cloud cover. So, be aware of the white balance setting. Start off using the Shady or Cloudy pre-set. If this doesn't get you close enough, try the Expo Disc for a custom white balance.

Long shutter speeds can contribute to excessive noise in the final image. By shooting RAW files, you have more ways to reduce this in post production. NIK Software's "Define" is a good option.

And the final ingredient for a successful execution of this technique is for there to be wind-free conditions. This is especially important if there are any trees, branches or flowers in the scene. Blur in the water will look fine, but, if any foliage is moving, it can ruin the shot.

So, to recap, here's what you need. A suitable body of water with a nice mix of darks and lights. Soft, dim light. A fairly small aperture of approximately f/16. Low ISO setting of 100. Shoot in RAW. And finally, wind-free conditions.

As far as gear....the primary essential here, is to have the camera on a tripod......pretty straightforward, but, all these ingredients are essential.

Keep in mind, there's no magic shutter speed to use. It can vary greatly, with the speed of the water flow...and your distance to the subject. Experiment, and take mental notes, so you'll have a basic idea for a reasonable starting point in the future.

I've included a few examples to show how differing shutter speeds can result in varying results.

For all six of these images, the camera remained on the tripod, and, at the same focal length. Tamron 28-75mm zoom. Nothing changed, except for the shutter speeds (and apertures) It's really amazing to look at these shots and keep in mind that the subject matter is EXACTLY the same in all 6 frames. Shutter speed selection is a very important creative tool, and can make a huge difference in the execution of your ideas.