Milky effect......

Gilly B

Gilly B

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Gillian
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You have probably covered this a thousand times in the past and I am quite embarrassed to even ask - but..... what settings should I use to get a fountain or waterfall to blur? I have tried different settings and just get White or almost White pictures.

It is a style I have never been interested in before, probably because there was so much more important stuff to learn first.

Could you peeps consider a basic set up for me to try out. I realise that I will need my tripod too.
 
Put the camera into manual, increase the aperture (higher F number) and slow the shutter speed down. This should work ok.
 
I find a shutter speed of between 1 and 3 seconds works best, if it is a bright day you may need some nd filters to cut out some of the light allowing you to attain the low shutter speed required.
 
Pour about a gallon of detol into the water just above the falls .. that'll turn it milky...





... and sterilize all of the wildlife downstream for miles. :nono: :D
 
Gary Bagshawe said:
I find a shutter speed of between 1 and 3 seconds works best, if it is a bright day you may need some nd filters to cut out some of the light allowing you to attain the low shutter speed required.
Click to expand...

:agree:

Anytime I've done waterfall shots I've found one in a shady clearing so the light isn't so bright that it whites out my pictures when i use a couple of seconds exposure. I don't own ND filters :shake:
 
oldgit said:
Pour about a gallon of detol into the water just above the falls .. that'll turn it milky...


... and sterilize all of the wildlife downstream for miles. :nono: :D
Click to expand...

OK, OK I sort of asked for that. :nono: :razz: :lol:

I thought I had it on Manual and high f number with slow shutter speed. Perhaps it was too bright (middle of the afternoon at the waterfall above our pond) The images were almost White.

I have never used ND filters before, although I do have a Cokin filter holder (round). Can you get Round ones?:shrug:
 
If you're getting them white, try just knocking it onto Aperture Control, sticking that as high as it goes, then maxing out the exposure compensation (not sure whether you need + or -, I can never remember myself :p)

That might do it.

Also, midday sun won't help, do it in the evening :)
 
If it's a sunny day then increasing the aperture and slowing down the shutter speed will just leave you with overexposed images. You'll need a filter. I use a polariser for it myself, but that can mess with the reflections of the water at the bottom if you're not careful.

The best thing to do is follow what's been said and shoot in lower light.
 
I find anything from .6 of a second up is enough to get the effect, the longer the shutter the better really but it comes at the expense of blowing highlights else where.

Cokin's P series square filters are handy, I have a few graduated nd's and a rather handy full nd which takes 3 stops of light to give much longer speeds.
 
As has been said, you need to get yourself a ND filter to slow down your shutter speeds. How much of a slow down you need will depend on the speed of the water but anything longer than 1 second should be ok in most situations :)
 
:shrug: Thank you so much guys. That has explained why I blew the highlights to such extremes.

The ND Grad Filters - I have just found my Cokin A series adaptor. Still in its original packaging since buying it at the same time as my Canon 50E 35mm film camera about 15 years ago. Having just read the book that comes with the system, there are 3 strengths to ND Filters ND2 -1 stop, ND4 - 2 stops, ND8 - 3 stops. Do I need to purchase all three or is one of the above a standard one to start with? :thinking:
 
Gilly B said:
:shrug: Thank you so much guys. That has explained why I blew the highlights to such extremes.

The ND Grad Filters - I have just found my Cokin A series adaptor. Still in its original packaging since buying it at the same time as my Canon 50E 35mm film camera about 15 years ago. Having just read the book that comes with the system, there are 3 strengths to ND Filters ND2 -1 stop, ND4 - 2 stops, ND8 - 3 stops. Do I need to purchase all three or is one of the above a standard one to start with? :thinking:
Click to expand...

It depends what light you'll be shooting in. If the water is going to be in an area where there is lots of light, then you'll need a stronger filter to block out more light and enable you to slow the shutter speed down.

I honestly think that you'll be fine with the ND2 though. As I said, I used a polariser to let me get a slower shutter speed and gain that effect. Using that method I got this shot;


Click to enlarge

It all depends what you're after. The way I did it also smoothed out the water at the bottom of the frame, but the highlights are still too bright really.
 
Moglet said:
It depends what light you'll be shooting in. If the water is going to be in an area where there is lots of light, then you'll need a stronger filter to block out more light and enable you to slow the shutter speed down.

I honestly think that you'll be fine with the ND2 though. As I said, I used a polariser to let me get a slower shutter speed and gain that effect. Using that method I got this shot;


Click to enlarge

It all depends what you're after. The way I did it also smoothed out the water at the bottom of the frame, but the highlights are still too bright really.
Click to expand...

Thanks Moglet. Stunning Waterfall image
 
Hiya Gilly.

As has been said - use an ND filter - stronger ones will give you longer exposure times. Keep your aperture at the highest number you can and a shutter speed of round about 1-2 seconds.

Also, it is best to do it in lower light conditions to avoid your highlights blowing out.

I took the shot below (Waterfall at Jesmond Dene in Newcastle) at about 6am in the winter!! It was almost pitch black outside but the longer exposure meant I got the correct lighting.

water%20(4).jpg


Hope this helps. Let us see your efforts when you crack it.

Anth.
 
Wow Magpieant stunning waterfall.

Good advice from you and all the other peeps. First call is to flebay to find some ND Grad filters for my A series adaptor. I will certainly be trying this style out and post results. Watch this space!
 
Although ND filters are very useful here is an example when I didn't use them to slow down the water. This is West Burton falls in the Dales and I used an ND grad just to control the highlights at the very top of the photo. The water is blurred purely because the combination of 100 ISO and f22 resulted in a 3 second exposure. This photo earned me £100 and is on the cover of a local mag this month :)

483784284_6a09f3ceb2_o.jpg


Ray
 
Very nice Rayfin, I've been playing with a Velvia type action and couldn't resist trying it on your image....

Velvia-Copy.jpg
 
Stop it! stop it! Rayfin and Colin its just tooooooo exciting. :nuts: :lol: Luvverly shot and well done on the publication.

That's it, I have purchased a 121 ND G2 off fleabay andddddd wait for it guys a BG-E4 Battery Grip. Oh eck, how am I going to tell Geoff (other half). :gag: :( :nuts:

I know what he will say... I am only doing paid photoshoots to feed my addiction 'gear' - the shinier the better. Shhhh! we won't tell him. :naughty:
 
And a decent tripod - or you'll get that lovely 'milky' effect everywhere...
If it's too bright at your chosen location, try early morning or dusk.
 
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