Читать книгу Digital Photographer - Литагент HarperCollins USD, J. F. C. Harrison, Professor J. D. Scoffbowl - Страница 8

The appearance of water is determined largely by the quality of the light and the colour of the sky. Shoot at different times of day and in a variety of different weather conditions and you get a wide range of results. In bright, sunny conditions, rivers and lakes tend to look blue, whereas early or late in the day they take on an attractive warm coloration. The position of the sun also plays a role. When it is overhead, around noon, a highly reflective finish is produced, with lots of highlights dancing on the surface. But during the morning or afternoon, when the sun is at a lower angle, light rakes across the surface, revealing the texture of the water. Best of all, though, is a sunset over water – which is closely matched by the delightful colours you get an hour or so after the sun has gone to sleep.

ON REFLECTION One of the first things that comes to mind when you think of water is reflection (see right). From perfect mirror images in a tranquil lake to shimmering abstracts in a bustling harbour, reflections make great subjects. Use a wide-angle lens if you want to include both the reflection and what is being reflected, or a telephoto zoom to crop in on just a small area.

Moving water has immense power and the most effective way of capturing it is by setting a long shutter speed. The result is an atmospheric, creamy froth that flows effortlessly around rocks or plummets earthward from a waterfall (see above). The longer the exposure, the greater the degree of blur. Start by mounting your camera on a tripod, then experiment with a range of shutter speeds, to see what works best – this will often be in the range of ¼ second to 4 seconds, which will require a slow ISO setting.

Action is one of the most challenging subjects to photograph. As well as having to worry about all the normal things - such as exposure, lighting and composition - you also need to focus accurately on something that is moving, possibly so fast that you can hardly see what’s going on.