DIFFERENT WAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHING WATER

How many different ways can we photograph water? Well, it's virtually endless. There are waterfalls, beaches, rivers, lakes, ponds, and even puddles. However, it's not the subject, so much as the way we photograph the subject. Think perspective, timing, time of day, time of year, or weather. 

Below are examples of what and how I incorporated water into my compositions. I'll start with a scene that was not easy to photograph. It was a cold winter day in October, in Colorado. In those conditions, I had to take a 4-mile round-trip hike to beautiful Lake Isabelle. As you can see, It was well worth the effort. The message here is: Do what others are not willing to do.

I photographed this soothing, tranquil scene in the early hours during a very foggy morning in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's called Stone Bridge. This scene does not have this "feel" at all during a sunny morning. Weather is the keyword here. 

We have seen hundreds of waterfall images. They are indeed beautiful to behold. However, for this next image, I decided to capture the essence; the "feel" of the waterfall, similar to what I did above with the bridge and pond in heavy fog. Although I took several photos of the actual waterfall, this one turned out to be my favorite. Sometimes, photographing just a small part of the subject can have more impact, whether it's dynamic or soothing. 

This is Ouzel Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  

Now, for this next image, I did photograph the entire waterfall. I captured both the waterfall and the creek it creates. This is Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I prefer to photograph the context in which a waterfall is, rather than just the waterfall itself. 

I found this composition near the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. I liked the way the Snake River meandered along the landscape, with the Grand Tetons as a backdrop. The lighting is what attracted me that morning. The foreground lit by the sun, while the clouds sprinkled sunlight on the mountains, gave this scene a three-dimensional feel. 

The water in this scene created interesting geometric shapes--a sort of surreal look. This is beautiful Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. 

Sometimes, it's the not-so-obvious that grabs my attention. On a nice summer day, I hiked, again in Colorado, after heavy rainfall. There were several puddles of water along the trail. The hikers that day, including me, had to hop over the puddles along the trails.

On my way back down from the hike, a puddle grabbed my attention. I no longer saw a simple puddle of water; I saw art, nature's art in the puddle. My message here is this: Don't just look for something to hit you between the eyes and say, "Here I am. Photograph me." Sometimes the most subtle, the less conspicuous, can be gems just waiting for us. We need to see; not just look.

This scene was not difficult to find. It is a short, easy hike to Maroon Lake, where you can sometimes see the reflection of majestic Maroon Bells, two of fifty-six "Fourteeners" in Colorado--peaks that are at least 14,000' in elevation. It is important to arrive early at any lake before the breeze starts to pick up. That is how we pick up those beautiful reflections, which we simply cannot see when the mountain breezes sweep across the surface of lakes and ponds. 

So, go out and look for water. It's everywhere. But, don't just set out to see the obvious. Look all around you. Something exciting is waiting for you to see it. Look with your eyes; see with your imagination.

Have fun!