I love coastline images that include moving water. Although there are many ways to incorporate water into an image, I especially like combining blurred streaks of water bubbles with an interesting distant subject. Here is an example:
Waves on Rialto Beach : Prints Available
Retreating water in front of sea stacks on Washington’s Rialto Beach
The above image works well because the sea stack makes a great subject out in the water. This is not always easy to find, which is why so many landscape photographers flock to the Pacific Northwest. If you are lucky enough to have access to this type of scenery, here is how to take these pictures:
You’ll Need…
- A sturdy tripod. This is especially important because the camera needs to stay still during a relatively long exposure while standing in moving water.
- A remote shutter trigger. This will help you keep your eyes on the waves to get your timing right, as well as minimize camera shake.
- Depending on the lighting, you will most likely need a solid neutral density filter, such as a 4-stop or even a 10-stop for bright conditions.
- A wide to ultra-wide lens (probably in the 14-24 range).
End of Day at Rialto Beach : Prints Available
A beautiful sunset on the shores of Rialto Beach
Composing the Image…
- Where you stand and what focal length you use will be driven by getting the water streaks composed properly in the foreground and the subject as an important part of the image. The picture above is an example of a good balance between foreground and distant subject.
- You want to position yourself in a spot where the water passes you as the waves go in and out but is relatively shallow or dry after the water moves out. Yes, this means your feet and probably legs will get wet.
- One good compositional technique is to use the water streaks as leading lines to the subject, such as in the image below.
Rocks on Ruby Beach : Prints Available
Water retreating between rocks on the shores of Ruby Beach
Your Settings…
- Set your camera to manual or shutter priority
- Set ISO to 100
- For starters, set your shutter speed to between 1/4 and 2 seconds. You can then adjust later based on what looks good.
- You then have to arrive at a desired aperture. I generally choose between f/18 or f/20 so that the distant subject as well as the water streaks are in focus. Even though the foreground water is blurred, you still want it to be in focus.
- If you are still overexposing the image, you can then bring in the neutral density filter(s) and re-adjust to your final aperture to get a proper exposure.
Oceanside Sea Stacks at Sunset : Prints Available
Beautiful sunset on the Pacific at Oceanside
Timing the waves…
- You want to shoot as the water is retreating back into the ocean or lake. When the water retreats, there are often bubbles which help the water streaks look more pronounced. You will have to work with the timing of when to trip the shutter, but I generally wait until the water is retreating around the tripod.
- Keep checking what your images look like and make adjustments to your settings and timing.
Lastly, take a lot of pictures… each one will be different, so it is best to have more options to choose from.