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How to shoot dynamic waterscapes and take your long exposure photography to the next level

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Long exposures, particularly of water, are something that almost all of us either have tried at some point or will try and some point in the future. Sometimes we might get lucky and nail it on our very first attempt but often we’ll find ourselves struggling to get the image we see in our head. The image we’d like to create. This is because it’s not usually as simple as just sticking an ND over your lens and increasing your shutter speed. There’s a little more to it than that.

In this video, photographer Andy Mumford walks us through the elements of creating long exposure waterscapes to add dynamism to our scene. He gives us the reasoning behind the decisions made when shooting one so that when you face potential problems in your shots or aren’t happy with what you’re getting, you’ve got some idea of what you can change and how they’ll affect your photography.

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How to set up and recreate caustic lighting for portraits in the studio

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Don’t be alarmed! Yes, the title of this article may seem a little bizarre, no it’s not helping my SEO, but I assure you that there’s actually a scientific reason behind its ‘caustic’ name.
For many years I’ve played with the idea of recreating various lighting looks that many of us may know and love from the natural world around us. Sure, we can buy fancy lighting modifiers that all serve a purpose, but sometimes their look can be a little too clinical, and frankly boring. Yes, once again I’m looking directly at you, softbox users. I guess we all start somewhere though ;)

Now that I’ve ostracised half of my readers in the first paragraph, let’s see if Jake’s latest DIY lighting modifier is actually any good!

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Watch this crazy video combining fire, water, capoeira and slow motion

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Slow-motion video is a lot of fun to shoot. I’ve been playing around with it myself a bit since recently receiving the Insta360 ONE R, which is capable of shooting up to 200fps. It can be tricky, though. You need subjects that benefit from being slowed right down for a start. And if you’re using artificial lights, you need ones that are flicker-free at the fast shutter speeds required for high frame rates.

Filmmaker Edden Ram recently teamed up with the folks at Spiffy Gear to overcome both of these challenges, bringing skateboarders, capoeira and fire dancers and more together to bring water, light and motion together for a pretty awesome final result.

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Three cheap and easy tricks to make any location shot look cinematic using water

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Ok, so, the title says “any location shot”, but it’s probably more like any outdoor location shot, when you think about things practically. Sure, you could use these tips indoors, too, although they wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. But Ted at Indy Mogul talks to Phil Rhodes, writer at American Cinematographer in this video, to chat about water and how it can make a big difference to your shot.

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Abstract aerial photos show beauty of the Earth shaped by water

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Water makes up the majority of the Earth, shaping the planet and its life in plenty of ways. When seen from above, waterways can create stunning images that tell stories of our home planet. Water.Shapes.Earth is a project by photographer Milan Radisics which turns the meandering waterways all over the world into amazing abstract images. They won’t just grab your attention with their beauty, but also make you think about how important water is and how much we should all try to save it.

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Man saves his drone a split second before it plunges into water

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If your drone’s battery runs out while it’s flying above water, you’re screwed, right? Well, a man named Dave Svorking managed to save his drone a split second before it hit the water surface. And the best of all is – this spectacular rescue was captured by the drone and you can see it in the video below.

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How to make creative abstract photos with a kettle of boiling water

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There are plenty of opportunities for creative photos all around your home. And one pretty cool idea comes from a Swedish photographer Micael Widell. He uses a glass kettle of boiling water, speedlights with colored gels and a macro lens to get some abstract photos. There are plenty of ways to play with light here. Because of this and the unpredictable movement of water bubbles, you’ll get unique photos every time.

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Photographer shoots portraits with a lens made of a single water droplet

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Ads annoy most of us, but when they’re well-made and creative, they can even be fun to watch. Spa Nederland (mineral water company) has one of those brilliant ads – it shows shooting portraits with a lens made from a water droplet.

Photographer Robin de Puy used only a droplet, a glass plate and electricity to create a lens made of water, and it was even possible to focus it. She shot some portraits, and this little experiment turned out to give impressive results.

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Placing a camera under a running tap creates an awesome in-camera water tunnel effect

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It’s like going through the Stargate, or at least down the water slides at the local pool. This very neat effect was created by YouTuber digi47. He says that he “didn’t realise it would create such a cool effect”. But a cool effect is exactly what it makes.

I wouldn’t recommend trying this with a DSLR unless you have an underwater housing. Even then, though, the lens itself might be too large to really get the full effect, and the larger sensor might not even allow you to focus so closely. But if you have something like a GoPro, or a relatively water resistant phone, then sure, why not?

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How to shoot wet portraits in a home studio using high speed flash

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Water is one of the most versatile subjects one can photograph. The very nature of water, though, means that it’s wet, so it can be messy and potentially dangerous. Working with it to shoot portraits in a home studio especially so. It’s not impossible, though. You just need to plan ahead, prepare properly, and perhaps have a friend along to help out.

As photographer Gavin Hoey demonstrates in this video, it can be done with very minimal equipment. With just one light, a paddling pool, and plenty of towels, Gavin makes short work of this session. Although, you might want a slightly larger pool than the one Gavin’s using.

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