Over the past few days I have been in touch with a new friend on flickr and as a result of her photography http://www.flickr.com/photos/hilaryannestephens/sets/72157619270609205/ I felt inspired to write this post about allowing water to flow.
| Water has a great list of unique properties; there is nothing that can begin to equal it in the whole of creation. One of these properties is that it is the only substance that can be found easily and naturally, in the three different forms. But it is the liquid form that is the most familiar and most often referred to as water.
One of the main properties of a liquid is that it finds its own level; it flows!
As photographers we can portray the natural world in our own creative way and there are occasions when we can choose to use the movement of water for creative effect. The scene in Switzerland to the right is almost two photographs, one could cut the image in half horizontally and have two acceptable images; and it is the bottom half that I am mainly referring to. I have allowed the water to move in the photograph which creates a flowing milky effect – ethereal and soft. This effect is created by using a long exposure or a slow shutter speed (however you prefer to think of it). Compare the two images below – the one on the left was using a long exposure, the right was using a fast shutter speed.
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Useful thoughts
I have illustrated this effect in boulder strew rivers but anywhere water moves has potential to be treated in this way – a running tap – the movement of the lapping tide – only your imagination is the limiting factor. Have YOU any illustrations of how YOU have used a slow shutter speed to allow water to move? |
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by David Boag
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