The Assignment
These are some of the first pictures I shot when I got my camera. I took an introductory DSLR class to learn the basics about my camera, and these photos were part of a series I shot for the assignment on shutter speed. Moving water is a great subject to shoot to experiment with shutter speed, but as I soon discovered it’s not as easy as just setting the buttons and firing away.
I made lots of mistakes here, the first being that this photo was taken smack dab in the middle of a bright sunny afternoon. Yup, I didn’t realize how hard I was making this on myself by shooting this type of scene at the worst possible time of day. Second, although I had borrowed an inexpensive tripod, there wasn’t a safe way to use it without standing in the middle of a very dangerous intersection. So I was forced to get a little creative. I had to climb up a steep embankment, which meant I was forced to shoot through some tree branches. I did my best to compose the scene, but it was very challenging. (Not to mention all the broken glass on the ground!) I wasn’t thrilled about the rusty guardrail and I had hoped to reduce the amount of the road showing in the foreground too. But a house right next to the reservoir was under construction and the debris from that project further limited my options. I jockeyed around on my cramped perch and tried to compose my photo without capturing all the unflattering objects in my surroundings. Unfortunately, the only lens I owned at the time was an 85mm f/1.8. It’s a great lens, but given the limitations of this setting it wasn’t the best lens for these pictures. I really couldn’t have picked a more difficult scene to shoot if I’d tried. It was not the best fit for my equipment or my level of experience, but I was bound and determined to make it work! So with a little ingenuity and a lot of swearing, I walked away with a very nice series of pictures that show how shutter speed affects moving water. This picture on top was right about in the middle of that series …. some of the motion was a little blurred, but it wasn’t as soft as the pictures with lower shutter speeds, as the second photo shows.
Even though this setting was very difficult to shoot, I promised myself I would come back in the fall and try to capture a better picture. I thought it would be beautiful when the leaves started to turn and I was especially drawn to the little shed that sat so precariously on the edge of the falls. I drove by the reservoir a few more times as the summer progressed, but I continued to hold out for the fall foliage. Finally the leaves began to get some color, so one morning when I thought the sky would be just right I decided it was time to try my hand at this scene again. In the months that had passed I’d learned a bit more about some of the things that had been such a challenge the first time I shot this scene. I’d also acquired a lens that was better suited to this setting.
I packed up my gear and headed over to the reservoir. As I drove the short distance I thought about how I would try to compose the picture and I was deeply lost in my thoughts as I rounded the bend that led to the falls. As a turned the corner I was shocked by the scene that lay before me! Heavy equipment lined both sides of the road and I had to slow to a crawl to carefully navigate my way past the now-dry falls. Orange barriers, yellow excavators and a bright blue Port-O-Potty blocked the view and the little shed that once sat beside the precipice was totally gone! I was heartbroken. I had no idea the reservoir had been slated for renovation and had I known I would have returned to take pictures before the work started. I have no idea what the plan is, or if the little shack will be placed back on the site. It’s doubtful. Sadly, “New and Improved” often means the removal of anything old.
So I’m glad I took this series of pictures. They’re not perfect and they don’t have the colorful background I’d hoped to get, but they have character!
July 28, 2010
2:59 PM. EST.
Canon EOS 7D
85mm, 1/20 sec (top photo), 1/8 sec (2nd photo), f/22, ISO 100.
Lens: Canon EF USM 85mm f/1.8
CurTales 
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