I don’t claim to be a professional photographer, but I consider it something I enjoy learning more about. The technical challenges of various light conditions really are what motivate to learn more.
During a recent to trip to visit family in Chile, I used the time to learn a few tips I thought I’d share with you.
Milky flowing water, nghttime scenes or streaks from cars moving
Ever see those photos of a stream that looks like the water is milk – smooth and flowing rather than moving? The streaks of light from a moving car or a clear evening photo that renders shades of colors?
Here’s how you do that:
- Use a shutter speed of 1/15 of a second or slower.
This will make the image that’s moving (in this case the water or car lights), silky white and smooth looking. - Use a low ISO setting. This will give you a relatively small aperture, and will ensures a large depth of field.
- Use a tripod. When you slow things down (the shutter speed), you need to stabilize the camera to prevent movement from. creating blur and to ensure sharp picture.
- Use a neutral density filter in bright light. In bright light (only daytime not nighttime) (as in the case above at the beach), you won’t be able to use a slow shutter speed and get a properly exposed image. It will end up look overexposed. If you use a neutral density filter, you will reduce the amount of light that reaches the sensor, and you’ll end up with a properly exposed image, even using a slow shutter speed.
Hope you find these tips to be helpful! Now get out there and take some awesome photos!