how do you get 'silky' waterfalls?

[JodyGall]

I am just in awe over everyone's waterfall pictures on here. This may be a silly question, but how do you get the waterfalls to look all 'silky smooth'? Whenever I take a picture of a waterfall, its like it freezes the water, I don't get that nice flowy look. I hope you understand what I'm asking.

[oldwolf]

longer shutter speeds. take a look at the exif data and you'll notice that they're long compared to the pictures that you've taken of moving water.

[JodyGall]

Awwww....so would you suggest I shoot in S Shutter Priority? I'm new to that mode. I just recently used it for the first time to practice panning (I sooo wanna learn how to do that too! LOL! Too much to learn on here!).

[zespri]

I know what you mean, I have a huge list of things I want to try after seeing them on here, panning included.

Last weekend I sat next to a water fountain trying out different shutter speeds. Really fast was a neat result, the drops of water were clearly visible. The slow shutter speed made it 'silky', as you put it. Try it, even with your kitchen sink.

Originally Posted by JodyGall

Awwww....so would you suggest I shoot in S Shutter Priority? I'm new to that mode. I just recently used it for the first time to practice panning (I sooo wanna learn how to do that too! LOL! Too much to learn on here!).

[mywickedstepmother]

Zespri! you're an inspiration! too late now to try it (gotta get some shut eye because I'm back to work in the a.m. after one month off) but tomorrow I will try the kitchen tap and perhaps the shower! Maybe f/22 - 1/8s might work....who knows! I will let everyone know.

Thanks for the tip!

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by JodyGall

Awwww....so would you suggest I shoot in S Shutter Priority? I'm new to that mode. I just recently used it for the first time to practice panning (I sooo wanna learn how to do that too! LOL! Too much to learn on here!).

go in aperture mode and set your f-stop to about 8ish. frame the shot and press the shutter half way down to get the shutter speed the camera wants to use. change it to manual and set your shutter speed to what the camera wanted to use but increase your f/stop by one stop (9ish?) and increase (longer shutter speed) your shutter speed by a stop. take the picture and see what it looks like. keep increasing your f/stop and shutter speed until you get a result you like. different water will require different shutter speeds because of how fast the water is moving. so one shutter speed for a river might not work for a waterfall.

[zespri]

Can you elaborate on why you would do this? Why is F8 your starting point etc...?

Originally Posted by oldwolf

go in aperture mode and set your f-stop to about 8ish. frame the shot and press the shutter half way down to get the shutter speed the camera wants to use. change it to manual and set your shutter speed to what the camera wanted to use but increase your f/stop by one stop (9ish?) and increase (longer shutter speed) your shutter speed by a stop. take the picture and see what it looks like. keep increasing your f/stop and shutter speed until you get a result you like. different water will require different shutter speeds because of how fast the water is moving. so one shutter speed for a river might not work for a waterfall.

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by zespri

Can you elaborate on why you would do this? Why is F8 your starting point etc...?

just a number i picked out of my hat.

well, f8 would give me enough things to keep in focus and some nice DoF I wouldn't want part of the rock or the water in focus but everything else blurred out.

i consider taking pictures of waterfalls or rivers landscape photography and that's where i usually start my f/stop when i take those types of pics. f/10ish is about what the human eye sees as far as DoF is concerned.

the f/8 is not a dead set rule and you can always start lower. rules are meant to be broken.

[JodyGall]

Thank you so much oldwolf for you mini lesson there!! I also like the idea of practicing with the shower or sink (since the nearest waterfall to me is like an hour away). We are planning a family hike in either Oct/Nov with my mom's group, and we'll be seeing waterfalls. So I thought it would be great to learn this before we go! I'm excited now! Thank everyone!

[Chip]

Just remember that with slower shutter speeds, keeping the camera steady is quite important. If you don't have a tripod (I don't yet), placing a camera on a rock, etc to keep it steady can elimate camera shake and produce much sharper results than a hand-held shot.

Lenses or cameras with vibration reduction help, too.