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How to Blur Water in Photography

Digital technology has changed the way pictures are taken, stored and edited. There are many effects that can be added to digital pictures in the post-production stage that would have been very difficult or impossible to do in film photography. Even with this ability, it is still best to achieve as much as possible in camera at the time the picture is taken. One example is blurring water in your pictures.

Things You'll Need

Tripod

Instructions

- 1
  Select a location where there is a waterfall, fast-moving river or stream, or even just waves crashing onto a beach.
- 2
  Visually compose your picture and decide where your camera will be set up and if you will be shooting horizontally or vertically. Position your tripod and make sure it is well balanced and won't fall over. Attach your camera to your tripod.
- 3
  Turn the camera on and select the lowest ISO (light sensitivity) possible. Look through your camera and compose the scene to capture as much of the flowing water as you want.
- 4
  Select "Shutter Priority" for your exposure mode. In shutter priority, the photographer selects the shutter speed and the camera selects the corresponding aperture. Turn the dial to select a shutter speed of 1/40th of a second or less.
- 5
  Press the shutter release half way down to activate the focusing and metering modes on the camera. Press the shutter release all the way down to take the picture.
- 6
  Review the picture on the rear LCD screen on the back of the camera. At 1/40th of a second, the water should start to look blurred and appear almost as a white stream. For more of the effect, choose a slower shutter speed, for less choose a quicker shutter speed. Make your adjustments and take another picture.

Photography