Hummel - Photographing water: expert techniques for capturing the beauty of lakes, rivers, oceans, rainstorms, and more

Copyright 2016 by Heather Hummel

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Front cover: Top photo by Doug Bailey. Bottom photos by Heather Hummel.

Back cover: All photos by Heather Hummel.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc., P.O. Box 586, Buffalo, N.Y. 14226, Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Editors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt, Beth Alesse

Acquisitions Editor: Harvey Goldstein

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder, Roy Bakos

Business Manager: Adam Richards

ISBN-13: 978-1-68203-058-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016931506

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

www.facebook.com/AmherstMediaInc

www.youtube.com/c/AmherstMedia

www.twitter.com/AmherstMedia

Table of Contents

Contents

Heather Hummel Photography spreads pixel dust on landscapes and seascapes. Her photography has been exhibited at Agora Gallery (Chelsea District, New York City), Cville Coffee (Charlottesville, VA), and Valley View Hospital (Glenwood Springs, CO). Additionally, she licenses her photos through ImageBrief.

Heather has ghostwritten over a dozen books (and counting). Her clients include corporations, politicians, philanthropists, dating coaches, real estate agents, public figures, and business leaders. With experience in both traditional and independent publishing, Heathers diverse background and knowledge of the industry appeals to many authors seeking a qualified ghostwriter. Her clients books have been featured on TODAY as well as in Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and The Washington Post. A contributing author in Successful eBook Publishing: The Complete How-to Guide for Creating and Launching Your Amazon Kindle eBook by David Wogahn, Heather shares her wisdom in a chapter on ghostwriting.

By personal request from Arianna Huffington, Heather is a featured blogger in the Arts & Culture section of Huffington Post. Her article titled Why Agents Reject 96% of Author Submissions gained remarkable attention in the industry, including re-tweets from Publishers Weekly and many quality literary agents.

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.Gilbert K. Chesterton

T here are about 326 million cubic miles of water on Earth. Water is everywhere around usfierce oceans, still lakes, rambling rivers, gushing waterfalls, gentle creeks, tempting swimming pools, rooftop rain, menacing puddles, pesky condensation on glasses, and toe-dampening dew drops. These all make for a lot of water photo-ops! However, many photographers shy away from photographing water unless its a lake or an ocean on a beautiful day. If Mother Nature is not behaving (i.e., if its raining), they are afraid of getting their cameras wet. That is a concern, of course, but its one that can be worked around. I have found that including water in my images adds a range of emotions, from the tranquility of a calm pool to the erupting thrill of a crashing wave. Bad weather doesnt keep the mailman away, and it should not keep a photographer at home either.

Image I1.Serenity. f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/100 second.

Image I2.Cancerian Wave. f/6.3, ISO 200, 1/1600 second.

Image I3.Big Sur River. f/6.3, ISO 100, 1/40 second.

Image I4.Thunderstorm Warning. f/8, ISO 100, 1/80 second.

Image I5.Evacuation. Photo by Doug Bailey.

Fears are quick to arise when Mother Nature turns ugly, and a planned photo shoot can quickly go awry. But look at it this way: rain makes puddles, it makes rivers rise to a roar, it makes waterfalls bellow, and it makes lakes freshbut, in the right situation, it also makes rainbows. Cameras and other photography gear are built to be tough, to a degree. While a couple of raindrops wont hurt your camera, a good dose of common sense (and a clean cloth) will go a long way when Mother Nature meets inspiration. While there are always risks, finding a canopy of trees or tucking under other overhangs can also provide a level of protection for your gear. In fact, it could be a good time to focus on taking some macro images, since its easier to protect your camera if your subject is close at hand and in a more confined spot. Simply put, many amazing photos have been the result of photographers being prepared for whatever Mother Nature served up.

When thinking about weather, lets consider photography along beaches and shores. The beach is one of the most popular and abundant forms of water for photographers. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline, Florida has 1,350 miles, and California has 840 milesand these represent just a fraction of the worlds land that is surrounded by water. For those not near an ocean, beaches are also found along the edges of lakes. Consider, for example, the 3,126 miles of shoreline surrounding the Great Lakes. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, this accounts for Michigan having more freshwater coastline than any other state!