One of my favorite ways to photograph waves is by capturing the soft delicate beauty of slow-moving water on a rocky beach or coastline. The silkiness and dreamlike motion contrasted by the stationary elements can make for a very compelling and emotional image. The composition you choose should be visually appealing so that when you add a long exposure of flowing water, it will introduce interesting elements of color and movement into the scene. There are a couple of ways to do this that produce good results, you could try both while you and your camera are set up. Using your tripod, compose a photo you like that has water flowing in a way that complements your scene.
Try to setup your camera and tripod low so you’ re not looking down on the waves. Each wave has its own energy and rhythm, and is also affected by the tide and wind, so you will need to take some test shots using different shutter speeds. To get soft fluffy waves that show the wash of water onto your composition try shutter speeds from ¼ of a second to three seconds, then evaluate them to see which effect you like. After finding your preferred shutter speed, start taking some pictures. I usually start taking pictures as the waves start to break and don’ t stop until the wave has come all the way in and receded. Admittedly, you will end up with hundreds of images, and you will hit the delete key for most, but there will be some awesome wall hangers in there for sure.
My second suggestion is to use the setup mentioned above but using an even longer shutter speed. A setting of 15 seconds to 60 seconds will show a little movement to no movement at all in the water. This method will give the turbulent ocean and waves a smooth flat appearance and could even show a reflection off the water. Again, that effect contrasted with the static parts of the photo can give you an amazing image that is very moody or has an ethereal effect that the viewer can connect with emotionally. Using either of these two methods, if you take the photos in early morning, around sunset when clouds are on the horizon, or in overcast weather it can add mood, color and amazing light to your shots. One other tip I should mention about the long exposure method is that on a sunny day you may need to use a neutral density filter to get the slower shutter speeds.
exhilarating. This is where you can feel the power and raw force of nature’ s energy which can be a pretty intense experience. For these high-speed action shots using a tripod is not absolutely necessary. However, it can be helpful for tracking the waves as they roll through the scene, keeping your camera level and carrying the weight of a long lens if you are using one. When photographing powerful and fast-moving waves, I have found that the fastest shutter speed you can use will produce the best results.
To maximize your chances of capturing the wave at its peak moment, set your camera to burst mode. Also, fill your frame with the wave, as the wave crashes, freeze those moments in time so you see focused water droplets hanging in the air. If you want to be guaranteed a tack sharp image, I suggest choosing a shutter speed of 1 / 4000 of a second or faster. Of course there must be enough light. With wave photography it is always a balance of ISO vs shutter speed. Blurry images aren’ t pretty, but neither are noisy ones, so work with the available light to get the fastest shutter speed possible. One other tip regarding wave photography is the use of a polarizing filter. In certain situations, it can help control the glare of the sun on the water.
Photographing ocean waves is an invigorating and rewarding experience where your artistic expression can create some stunning images, not to mention that it’ s just plain fun!
Just as a reminder; never turn your back on the ocean.
One other way to photograph waves is to use a fast shutter speed and a long zoom lens. The idea here is to zoom in on the crest of the wave, and get a series of photos, freezing the action as it breaks. The spray coming off the back adds another dimension and if the light is right, you can get a wave bow in the spray.
However, I find that photographing on days with unusually large waves is the most fun. That means watching the surf report and going out on the days when the waves are expected to be huge. On these days you will see waves crashing off the rocks and exploding into the air! The experience is very
Jeff Bentz is a travel and landscape photographer in Gilroy, CA. Follow him on Instagram: @ jeff _ bentz _ photography View his portfolio: jeffbentzphotography. com
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