There are many reasons for shooting rivers and streams in landscape photography and there\u2019s a lot involved so here\u2019s part one (probably).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Being in the landscape regularly will inevitably lead you along rivers or creeks<\/strong>. A lot of joy can be found being immersed in a shot from within a river. The bubbling rushing sounds<\/em>, water drop splashes<\/em>, glowing mossy rocks and birds whooshing along<\/em> catching insects are some of the many highlights. You really do feel alive photographing from a stream and often the challenges it presents are well worth overcoming as the visual rewards can be fabulous.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Compositionally water presents excellent opportunities for a photograph such as making leading lines to another subject<\/strong> \u2013 like a mountain or waterfall. The patterns and shapes<\/strong> made by flowing water offer endless possibilities and can be the main subject in themselves. You will sometimes find S shapes and curves<\/strong> which are sought after compositional devices. Looking closely and exploring will reap visual rewards and you may see reflections plus reflected colors<\/strong> which help build a composition if the water isn\u2019t too fast flowing. If you are lucky and the sun is shining at the right angle, water spray can form rainbow prisms<\/strong> which can make welcome color splashes too!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Eventually, you will want to get into the river or creek you are photographing, it happens to everyone. Unless you\u2019re going to drown. Stay out if you intend to drown \u2013 yes it can be dangerous. Often the best compositional leading lines and action is from within the river, there\u2019s no getting away from the fact you will want to get in at some point. When you do decide to take the plunge (waka waka), you\u2019ll want to consider investing in appropriate footwear because if you wear your regular hiking shoes they will fall apart quickly. And they\u2019ll get stinky quickly!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Use our very scientific and informative Arctic-ometer\u00a9 infographic to pick the most appropriate footwear. Here\u2019s a brief rundown:<\/ins><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Versatile and essential, get your footwear sorted and you won\u2019t look back! The good news is that any of these are applicable to photographing in oceans too.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Some extra things to consider are having a lot of pockets. You may be away from the river banks and will end up stuffing your pockets with bits and bobs. Similarly using a backpack is pretty essential rather than a slingback or other bag, which may flop into the water. One thing I will be getting one day soon is polarised sunglasses. It\u2019s virtually impossible to gauge the slippery rocks with regular glasses and this has been on my list for ages!<\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are many reasons for shooting rivers and streams in landscape photography and there\u2019s a lot involved so here\u2019s part one (probably). Being in the landscape regularly will inevitably lead … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[710],"tags":[952,976,1011,1148,539,693],"class_list":["post-178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-fashion","tag-girl","tag-hot","tag-photograph","tag-rivers","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\nDon\u2019t be a pussy, get in!<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
If you are somewhere warm enough good for you! Flip flops are great for hot places where there are no leeches or other waterborne critters. Shooting in warm places is a dream for landscape photographers and flip flops beat barefoot if there are scratchy rocks etc.<\/li>\r\n
These specifically designed shoes let out the water and are apparently more grippy on slippery rocks. As above you\u2019re probably somewhere pretty warm if you can get away with water shoes. Enjoy!<\/li>\r\n
Wellies are maybe the easiest all-rounder for beginners as you can hop into the creek as well as wear them on the hike, which saves some extra weight. Often they will do the job and you can find insulated boots for colder conditions.<\/li>\r\n
Longer and heavier than wellies, waders allow far deeper\u2026 wading. I carry these with me most of the time over wellies nowadays. The considerable extra weight is well worth it when you can happily reach most parts of a river or creek.<\/li>\r\n
These are the Mecca of water footwear. In fact this is pretty much whole body wear.
If you are too embarrassed to get chest waders simply tell everyone you are taking up fishing and they will nod agreeably. You may get a look or two when you don chest height neoprene style-lead waders, however after a couple of hours in snow-melt rivers you\u2019ll be grateful for the investment. (The ones I use were about $90 from Amazon).<\/li>\r\n
If you\u2019re wearing a wetsuit while shooting you\u2019re doing something awesome and you don\u2019t need our advice! Go play.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOther essentials and tips for photographing rivers<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
As a rule of thumb avoid the sky as it will probably be blown out. Of course, there are always exceptions and sometimes a little blowout isn\u2019t too bad. Exceptions include having subject matter in the distance, such as a mountain or waterfall. Usually, these will be higher than the creek in the frame and have some sky around them.<\/li>\r\n
Use the right speed for the water you are shooting; if there is a fast flow it could be quicker or you may want a slow dreamy look. As with all landscape photography try and visualize the end result when making the photo. Here\u2019s one example when shooting multiple frames in the landscape can be really useful. Find the shutter speed you like the best, whether it is 1\/2 second or milky smooth at 5 seconds by taking enough pictures to see the difference. More on shutter speeds here.<\/li>\r\n
Invariably you\u2019ll need a polarizer, but you don\u2019t have to use it to the full effect. Sometimes the contrast will be too great when used at 100% so again use some experimentation in the field. See our related article about photography filters here.<\/li>\r\n
If you are making an HDR blend this isn\u2019t so critical, but for single frames, you will want to carefully consider your exposure. Generally, the brightest part of the image will be the fastest flowing water, using this will make for a solid exposure baseline.<\/li>\r\n
Shooting water can be done on any day, but partially cloudy are generally the best.
Having some light on any scene, rather than completely flat grey days will improve river and creek photos just as they do dry-landscapes. Some beams, patchy light through trees and golden hour color all make for creating depth, although beware of strong sunlight as the water will easily blow out.<\/li>\r\n
Not only can these be dangerous, but your tripod can easily move when shooting. Put your leg in front of the tripod if it\u2019s really fast flowing to disperse the water and try and position the other legs behind rocks to lessen the impact.<\/li>\r\n
Your lens will probably get misty\/sprayed if you are in the water. Check the element to avoid disappointment later. If there is a lot of spray use a baggy or graduated filter to compose the shot first or consider taking your lens-hood. See our post here about keeping your lens clean in water.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n