Water - that most changeable
of elements - presents many faces and elusive moods to our cameras.
Still or moving,
reflecting or roaring, macro or landscape - you decide!
To 'freeze' motion, use a fast
shutter speed - 1/500th at least. You'll need a fast film and a bright day, or
even a flash, specially if you're using a telephoto.
To get that blurred streamy look to
moving water, use a slow shutter speed - 1/8th or slower. For a really misty
look, you'll need 1 or 2 seconds, or even longer with a wide-angle lens. In both cases,
use a tripod, and a slow film around 50-100 ISO.
When photographing reflections,
decide whether to focus on the water surface or, more probably, the reflected image,
specially if they're far apart. If you want both sharp, use a small aperture - f11, f16 or
smaller - to get enough depth-of-field. Alternatively try getting very close to reflective
water then throw reflections out of focus using a wide aperture - f4, f2.8 or wider.
Watch out for waterfalls or 'white
water' - they fool exposure meters the same way snow does. To get good exposure,
compensate by opening the aperture one or two stops more than apparently needed.
To photograph something under water,
like a fish, a polarising filter will cut out surface reflections. A polariser will also
enrich that blue or turquoise colour of the sea - great in the Med or Caribbean.
Try a water-proof 'disposable' to get
close-ups of waves, underwater shots, or photos in heavy rain. A shower-hat is good
protection for a regular camera in rain too.
Help out mother nature with a small
spray-bottle when you need some morning dew…
If you're shooting a splash, press
the shutter a fraction of a second ahead to allow for the slight firing delay; also
pre-focus to avoid your autofocus 'hunting' for a moving or blurred subject
