You really need to start making and selling those sculptures (and chairs)! I so want one. I was doing the same - practicing slow shutter last week - but I was at Peggy's Cove. The total opposite coast from you! ;)
Shut down the aperture a little more, f/16 or f/11 and extend the shutter speed, 30 or 40 seconds or buy a 10x neutral density filter to extend the time the shutter is open to make that water look like silk. Of course you'll need a tripod. This is a good beginning!
@skipt07 Thanks for the tip, Skip. I do have such a filter but it was quite dark out so I thought if I lowered the ISO and turned up the F number it would work. The waves were big but the photo doesn't do them justice. I did have the camera on a tripod.
@kwind - It did work to some degree. I didn't realize it was dark considering the color of the water and sky and the detail in the grass. I just looked at the Exif and saw that you took the picture at 7:24 pm. There is still light at our longitude and latitude that you can see outdoors at that time. If you leave the shutter open for 20 or more seconds, no matter how big the waves are they will be blurred and you will only see the lighter streaks from the waves like in your photo.
This is fantastic, (I guess it's Kim, not Kay, as I've been calling you. Apparently Skip is't reading all the exif information. You did shoot this at 20 seconds and had f22, much smaller than his suggested 11 or 16. The waves do look smooth to me. Where are you located? It's dark in Madison at 7:30, the actual time you took the photo. I can see with a 20 second exposure the landscape would appear lighter than with a faster exposure. I love your sculpture trees.
As it was scrolling open on my screen, I thought this has a kwind feel to it. And it did! I think what makes this interesting is the unusual figure with the soft ocean in the background.
@bill_fe Thanks, Bill. I live on the 50th parallel on Vancouver Island. It was just about dark when I took the shot. I wish the water looked silkier. It was very windy so all the vegetation was really moving. It's funny, the wooden tree looks much sharper on my computer screen than on 365. I'll keep trying.
Your tree really does give you away!! :-))) I like that you are trying long exposures.....I am not going to say I have mastered them, but I think, as you said, the vegetation in the foreground interferes with the silky water, and makes it look out of focus. The water is nice and silky, but it would help if you had a solid foreground. The first time I attempted this (with instruction!) we were at a rocky cove, and as the waves were breaking over the big rocks and receding, they created some beautiful silky effects. Might want to try it closer to the water....
@soboy5@nicholascronin My husband and I made the trees last Christmas from driftwood we found on the beach. They was three and we covered them in lights for the holidays. Later we moved one to the front of the house and screwed it to the wall between my two kitchen windows (see yesterday's shot) so two are left on the beach/grass line. They have been in many of my shots.
@panthora Thanks for your tips. I had the camera on the tripod waiting for a rainbow to come (it was the perfect weather for it) and then later Liked the waves and thought I'd give the SS a shot. The blurry grasses really bug me. Everyone has given great suggestions so I'll try again soon.
@panthora Thanks for your tips. I had the camera on the tripod waiting for a rainbow to come (it was the perfect weather for it) and then later Liked the waves and thought I'd give the SS a shot. The blurry grasses really bug me. Everyone has given great suggestions so I'll try again soon.