Slow shutter speed issue

[Esoterra]

Hi,

I am a beginner photographer. I have the passion, but lack the skills. I currently own a Cannon A85. The other day I was trying to take a picture of the stream in the forest near that rock, by the tree. The lighting seemed pretty good, as it was somewhat of an overcast day. I wanted to take a picture with the moving water blurry. I set my shutter speed at 15,5,and 1 seconds and F2.8 to F8, but the exposure was WAY too bright; or, if set the shutter speed to where it wasnt too bright, then the blur effect wasnt that good at all. Is it the camera, or is there something you would recommend me trying? Thank you for your help.

[emalvick]

In the daylight, 15 seconds is going to be too long. Slow shutter speed means you are giving more time to let light in. In those situations, you want to be sure the aperture is as small as possible, but your camera can only do so much. Any camera can only do so much. What you described is what I would expect given the description of the conditions.

People who get that soft water effect in their images are most likely using a neutral density filter on their camera. That type of filter darkens your image without changing the color. In simple terms, it allows you to slow down the shutter speed a step or two without over-exposing the image. How many steps and the effect depend on the specifics of the filter and whether you stack a few on or not.

I'm not sure whether you can even stack filters onto an A85. If not, you may be able to hold one up to the lens while you take the shot (assuming you have it on a tripod), but others may have better ideas.

Erik

[D Thompson]

Try ISO=50, f8.0, and up to 1 sec. Also try for a lower light situation, not mid day sun.

Dennis