Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Shutter speed

North Cascades National Park is bisected by Ross Lake National Recreation Area. This area consists of several reservoirs that feed hydro-electric plants operated by Seattle Light. This was of interest to us since my Hubby had been an operator at Los Angeles' Gorge power plants in the Owens valley. This plant had four generators in one plant while the ones Hubby operated were each in different buildings separated by several miles. Behind the plant was a garden, currently being renovated. A lovely cascading stream ran along side so I thought I would try different shutter speeds to see which effect I preferred.

1/25 of a second smooths out the water.
1/400 of a second stops the motion and shows the individual drops. Which do you like better?
To see more water, click here

9 comments:

Barb said...

Hi Martha,
I've tried this ,too with running water though I think both of your photos are clearer than mine. I like the second because I think it looks more like the actual stream when you're watching it.

The Pink Geranium or Jan's Place said...

I have to tell you, I like them both!!! They each have a different aspect to them, one more powerful.

Susan said...

Outstanding photos. I really like the two perspectives. It's amazing how shutter speed can soften a photo. I'm a novice when it comes to photography and have much to learn - but after viewing the photos on your blog, I'm going away with a little more knowledge and determination to improve. :))
Well done, my friend!

Is that you climbing the rocky cliff (ID photo)? Now that's impressive!

Thanks for visiting my blog. It's nice to meet you!

Hugssss, Susan

Eve said...

They are all beautiful, but if I have to choose between the water ones, I pick the one with the smooth water. ;)

Arija said...

Martha, I just checked, it is Lantaw in the Philippines, No.43 on this week's My World which you can access through the Logo on my side bar. It really is worth checking him out.

In case you think this comment is nuts, I sent you an other one which must have gone astray in cyberspace.

Lantaw seems to be a professional photographer who photographs waterfalls so they look like milk while all around is razor sharp.
Both slow and fast exposures have their place depending on the effect you wish to create at the time.

Katney said...

Water is intersiig to phtograph. With my little pocket camera, there are settings for catching it in different ways--different speeds. I haven't figured out how to adjust on the new one yet. May just have to go hiking with a friend for advice on the matter.

Martha Z said...

Arija--I checked him out and he does do remarkable work. I wonder if he uses a neutral density filter and long exposure to get that effect?

Katney--Sounds like a good idea to me!

Linnea said...

Interesting shots. That water at the plant looks really deep. As for the shutter speed...hmm...I like them both but I think I like the first one with the smooth stream of water...it is sort of dream like. Thanks for visiting my WW...

Diane AZ said...

Fascinating comparison; I like to see the water both ways. After reading this post, I checked the manual of my point-and-shoot camera and learned that I can set the shutter speed. Then I walked to the creek to try it out, but the creek was dry. Maybe next time.