# Need help on how to set up a shot...



## EdCT (Mar 14, 2002)

Darrenbmw said:


> Hey Ed,
> 
> What is great: You posted these photos.
> 
> ...


This is the brook that runs alongside my driveway - it's been bone-dry all summer, the recent snows and rains have got it running again.










Ed


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## TXE39 (Oct 2, 2003)

Awesome pictures Ed and Darren. I really didn't think it would be this easy to play around with when I asked initially. I think these came out pretty good considering I really didn't have much time to try a bunch of different things.


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## Darrenbmw (Jun 15, 2007)

Hey TX:

Well .. you've got a great beginning at understanding shutter speed. The longer the shutter is open, the more light into the lens, making brighter lights and at times maybe too much, and you experiment to get the desired effect. These are some cool shots. If this is your home .. NICE HOME!!


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## TXE39 (Oct 2, 2003)

I'll definitely start playing with it some more. If I ever get the pool guy to come fix the short in my lights I'll try it with mine...I have a lot of water features on my pool. This one is a client's pool. I wanted a night shot because he has an ugly soundwall for a back fence and it didn't look good in the day shots.


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## Test_Engineer (Sep 11, 2004)

5 and 10 seconds might be a bit long for flowing water. At that shutter speed the water tends to just look like a white haze, and you don't get the sense of flowing water. If you try this again, try a shorter shutter speed and you can always boost the exposure with D-Lighting feature either on your camera or in a post processing program.


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## hockeynut (Apr 14, 2002)

Read up on general photography concepts (shutter, exposure, aperture, ISO, etc etc etc) and go out and experiment with your camera by taking different pictures and adjusting settings to see their effect. When you load the photos into your favorite software (I use Adobe Lightroom) see what those settings are and how the pictures changed when the settings changed.

This is the great thing about digital - you can experiment all you want without the cost and wait of developing film.

I recommend a remote control as well - helps for those times where pushing the shutter could mess up your photo. They're cheap - http://www.precision-camera.com/product/60619

Also get a good tripod. Its amazing how much movement I used to get with my el cheapo SLK tripod, and when I upgraded to a more stable one, the pics (esp with zoom) came out much clearer.


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## FlyingDragon (Jul 4, 2007)

I would set it in Aperture mode and use a high f stop like f8 or f11. The self timer on your camera should also be set and the shutter speed should set itself automatically. Play around with the Exposure Compensation to see what looks the best.

You can also try the Manual (M) mode and play with shutter speed and aperture to see what looks best. This would require some experimentation on your part.


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