Taking photos of water

Summer is here, and with warm weather comes a ton of water-related activities. Pools, lakes, oceans, rivers, waterfalls and even backyard sprinklers — you name it, summer’s got lots of water! A lot of people don’t think they can take photos of these fun-in-the-sun moments for fear of ruining their cameras. But fear not! By taking some minor precautions and remembering a few simple tips and techniques, shooting wonderful water photographs can be a snap.
Other important tips to remember

• Don’t let your camera get too hot. The sun can bake the inside of a car or trunk, so don’t leave your camera somewhere it will get too hot.
• Do not swim with your camera unless you have a special waterproof model.
• Keep your hands dry while you are holding your camera.

Reflections

One of the coolest things about water is its mirror-like ability to reflect images. The next time you see a still body of water, check to see which parts of the landscape around it are being reflected in it. You can often see mountains, trees, buildings or statues and at the right angle, you can capture both the item itself as well as its reflection. Things to look for to make your reflection photographs really spectacular are colorful lights, clouds in the sky, uniquely shaped structures. The water’s movements are important too — the best reflections will show up in water with minimal waves and other motions

Glare

The sun is one of the best and one of the worst things to deal with when you’re taking pictures. It provides great lighting for crisp, clear photos outdoors, but when you’re trying to capture great water shots, it becomes a little troublesome. When light hits water, the result is glare. There are many ways to help minimize glare in your photographs. The easiest way is to try to avoid it altogether by changing your position or the angle at which you take the shot.

Another way to reduce or even eliminate glare is by using a polarizing filter. In addition to reducing the glare, polarizing filters can enrich your outdoor photographs in a lot of other ways. They can make the colors in the water and the sky richer and cut through the haze and fog you often encounter during early-morning shots. So check to see whether your digital camera accommodates filters, and compare and contrast the difference they make in your photographs.

Some of the best nature photographs include free-flowing water. But what is the best way to capture the movement without creating a big blur? Or what if you want to freeze time and get a shot of a huge wave crashing against some rocks? There are simple solutions to both of these questions.

Movement

To create a silky smooth image of running water, you should set your camera to landscape mode (or another slow shutter speed mode) and use a tripod. The tripod will eliminate any accidental motion of the camera while you’re taking the photo, and the result will be a beautiful, flowing body of water.

To get a great freeze-frame shot of water, you should set your camera to a sports mode (or another faster shutter speed mode) and try to include enough of the surroundings in the shot to give it some context. A close-up picture of water hitting a rock doesn’t tell much of a story, so try to include some of the background to make the picture more interesting.

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