Joel Tjintjelaar

Making a soft and silky sea as in the picture above isn’t that hard, it pretty much comes down to having the right equipment and being at the right place at the right time.

Equipment

First of all: you’ll need some essential equipment.
Camera with the option “bulb”. You most probably are going to use shutter speeds over 30 seconds, so you’ll need this option.
Remote control that can lock. Most remote controls have this option. I use a relative cheap Canon RS60-E3 (approx. $ 20) and this works fine.
ND filter, 10 stops preferable. If you are going to use a ND filter with less stops, the effect will be less too. I get the best effects with shutter speeds starting from 60 seconds, that’s why I use an ND filter that reduces the light with 10 stops.
Tripod, the heavier the better. You’ll do most of the shooting at windy circumstances and most probably with the tripod in the water. Your tripod needs to stand perfectly still under harsh conditions, so choose your tripod carefully.

Creating a mood

Water appears in different conditions under different circumstances. First of all, check the water tides. You should always go out shooting during high tide for obvious reasons. Then there’s the wind factor. When there’s hardly any wind, the water will be smooth. When the wind is blowing hard, there’ll be waves. Yes, this is pretty obvious, but there is more to it.

Photographing a smooth water surface with a long exposure will result in a sea with many dark tones. Whilst photographing a wild water surface with lots of waves and foam will result in a sea with many light tones.

— The sea was very calm. This resulted in a water surface with many gray and black tones

— The sea was very wild with many waves which resulted in a sea with many white and light gray tones

So, why is the difference between a wild and calm sea important? Because it gives you the option to choose what kind of mood you want to set. Do you want something light or something dark? Something with a strong contrast or a low contrast? This is something to keep in mind before going out on a shoot. Knowing what you’re looking for, can save you a whole lot of time and trouble.

Waves explained

Why exactly do those waves create a very light image when they are long exposed? Now, take close attention to the colours of the waves. They are blue/green and when those waves crash, they end in a white foam.

— Waves with lots of foam

— Making a long exposure of this scene will result in a water surface with many light tones. f/22. 60s, 14mm, ISO 100, 110 ND Filter. SOOC

In those 60 seconds that I exposed the sea, I also captured a lot of waves with foam and by doing so I captured the many white tones. So, if you want a water surface with many white tones, simply look for a sea with many crashing waves and expose it for as long as you can.

A few tips for shooting water surfaces

It might sound so easy to go out and shoot some water surfaces. There are however some things to keep in mind.
You’ll be shooting most of your images with bad weather conditions at sea. You’ll get wet and dirty, so wear appropriate clothing. Don’t put on your new Armani suit. Also bring some towels and fresh clothing with you, chances are you’ll need them.
Because of the bad weather, you’ll want to be extra careful with your equipment. I don’t recommend changing your lenses at sea. You might drop a lens in the water or sand, but more importantly: an open camera body might catch some sand or splashing water drops. Please pick your lens at home and stick with it during the shoot.
Take somebody with you. This shot was taken while standing on the pillars. I had to balance my tripod on the pillars and if my tripod and camera would fall, it would directly drop in to the sea. I was surrounded with water everywhere and there was a firm and steady wind. Now, you could do this all by yourself, but then there would be a too big of a risk of dropping something into the water. With some help I did manage to take the shot more safely, but even then it was still risky.
Take a camera cleaning set with you. No matter how careful you might be, your equipment still can get dirty. I always bring a dust blower (to blow the sand from my lenses or body), micro fiber cloth and cleaning fluid.

— Smooth Effect – Photoshop

If you want to know all about ND filters, exposure times, type of ND filters and just about all you need to know about long exposure photography including the most essential equipment, being the ND filters, you have to check the article on this website on Filters and long exposure photography. It contains very handy tables with exposure settings in combination with f-stops and type of ND-filters. You can just print it on paper and carry it in your camera bag while going out shooting long exposures. So check it out, it is the ultimate guide to filters and long exposure photography including manufacturers and indicative prices!

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