Water in Motion

High Creek

Yesterday, as I was writing, I got to thinking about photographs I have made in the past with water. The image posted today, High Creek, is one of my earliest successful photographs of water motion. I guess I have been drawn to water for quite some time, but recently I have become more aware of how much it interests me. I have spent a lot of time on a personal project of documenting Lake Lowell, and I guess that that is one of the reasons I have become more aware and fascinated with the characteristics of water.

I don’t thinks I am alone in this fascination, either. It seems that many of my students love water as well. I am asked over and over how to capture the smooth, silky images of flowing water. The principle is very simple. Use a tripod and shoot with a slow shutter speed. This leads to a perfect assignment for a beginning class, as it forces the students to practice the principle of equivalent exposure. They can see immediately the difference between using a long shutter speed and small aperture and using a short shutter speed with a wide open aperture. Once equivalent exposure is mastered, it seems to open up a whole new world of creativity to beginning photographers.