DIY Network

Photographing Water In Motion: Using Filters Cut Out the Glare and Create Dazzling Effects From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-110

Filters are one of the critical tools used by serious photographers. They can be especially helpful when photographing water.

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Professional photographer Erin Manning describes how you can take beautiful photos of water in motion. In this lesson, she discusses filters.

Materials

Digital camera
Camera owner's manual
Tripod
Polarizing filter
Neutral density filter

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Using Lens Filters

You can vary your results when photographing water through the creative use of filters. A couple of the most useful for this application are the polarizing filter (figure A) and neutral density filter (figures B and C).

Figure B

Figure A

	Figure C
	WITHOUT polarizing filter.
	WITH polarizing filter.

Here are some of Erin's tips on using filters when photographing water.

• Even a pair of polarizing sunglasses will work in a pinch--as long as they're truly polarizing lenses, not just ordinary sunglasses. Simply place the sunglasses in front of your lens and let them act as a polarizing filter if you don't have one for your camera

• You can experiment with a polarizing filter to see its effect by simply holding the filter up to your eyes and twisting it. If you're looking at the clouds in the sky, the detail in the lining will become much more distinct. Or if you're looking at the water in a pond, the glare will disappear exposing the rocks underneath.

• When scoping out a polarizing filter for your camera, you may also want to check out neutral density (ND) filters. They work much the same way as polarizing filters, by blocking a certain amount of light from entering the camera but without altering the colors in your picture.

• Sometimes you can't choose a slow enough shutter speed when shooting in bright light because the camera has a limit as to the minimum size of aperture opening. However, you can use ND filters to reduce the shutter speed by one or more f-stops.

• Neutral density filters come in a variety of levels, their labels reveal how much light is reduced in f-stops.

• Most filters attach easily to digital cameras, either by snapping or screwing on. Be careful when installing a filter because the threads on filters are thin and if you're not gentle, you can easily strip the threads as you are putting the filter onto your camera's lens.

RESOURCES :

PC Photo magazine
Website: www.pcphotomag.com
Online version of the magazine devoted to digital photography and related technologies.

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Model: 002864235X
Author: Steven Greenberg
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Prentice Hall
Paramus, NJ 07652

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Author: Julie Adair King
Order this book from Amazon.com.
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Complete Digital Photography
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Author: Ben Long
Order this book from Amazon.com.
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Website: www.charlesriver.com/