Water Panning


I didn't want my winter photography to become stale.  As exciting as it is getting up before the sun in the dead of winter, I needed a new project to work on.  After seeing photography of individuals like David Orias and Bryce Johnson, I came across a photographic technique that piqued my interest. This is called water panning, where the camera moves for a fraction of a second with the wave as it forms. This slightly longer shutter speed (mine was at about 1/10th second) can create some beautiful smooth effects as the wave builds and moves towards the shoreline.  A tripod can help stabilize the vertical movement of the camera, allowing for only lateral movement and motion blur, just like the wave.

Here is my first attempt at the technique, during dusk hours at Second Beach in Newport.  I love it and I can't wait toget back to trying this water panning during different times of day, with and without surfers in frame, and with different colored light. Stay tuned as I explore this new technique with high enthusiasm! More at www.catebrownphoto.com


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