Just Add Water - A Photo Tip When You Can't Think of Anything to Shoot
If a writer sometimes encounters "writer's block" a photographer also sometimes encounters an equivalent "photographer's block".
A photographer especially a hobbyist (like me) sometimes just can't think of anything to shoot. What to do then? Well, a helpful advice is to - just 'keep on shooting' just as the usual advice to the writer is to 'keep on writing'. But what will you shoot?
One answer is - "think of water, just add water".
Why Water?
Water is always a fascinating subject for a photo. And since water can be found almost anywhere, you will never run out of water to shoot.
If you are an islander, then you are very lucky because you are surrounded by water. There is the ocean or the sea just a few steps away from your doorstep. Or there is the mangrove or the river just a hike away.
If you live in the countryside, chances are you have some waterfalls or lakes or rivers or streams.
It's always fun to photograph waterfalls or streams. You can capture the flow of water with a slow shutter speed and make it appear milky and smooth. Or you can use a fast shutter speed to freeze the water movement.
Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away
What happens if you cannot go out to the country or the sea because it's raining? What happens? You have your answer there! There is water, plenty of water! Shoot the rain from your balcony or the raindrops on your window pane!
What if you are inside the car when it's raining? Well, if you are the one driving, then of course you cannot take a picture. But if you are a passenger, then this is an exciting time for you!
I learned how to shoot rain through a car window. The results are usually one of a kind photos. The best camera setting to use if your car is moving is the "sports mode". You can't go wrong with this mode because it will take a burst of shots and your chance of getting a good shot increases. Not only that, the movement of the car will also create streaks on the car window and this adds another exciting dimension to your photo.
After the Rain, There are Raindrops and Puddles
After the rain is one of my favorite moments for taking photos. There are raindrops galore everywhere. I already wrote a hub about raindrops before, RaindropsA-Few-of-my-Favorite-Things. so I'll just include one raindrop photo here.
Another thing that we can take a photo of after the rain are puddles. They capture beautiful reflections. I also have a hub on reflections. Reflections-in-Photography.
See, I just love photographing water wherever they are.
Adding Water Enhances A Photo
Adding water to a photo always creates a more interesting photo. Just take a look at these two photos of a starfish. Which do you think presents a more appealing photo?
Water adds breadth and depth to any photographic composition.
Water Expresses Emotion
You want to express serenity or calmness? Take a photo of still water.
You want to express rage or danger? Take a photo of raging water.
Just Add Water and You Will Be Fine
So just adding water makes a lot of difference to a photo. It can even make you win a contest as what happened to this photo below.
We had a photo shoot about a festival, the Aliwan Festival of which I wrote about before. I-Recommend-the-Aliwan-Festival-in-the-Philippines.
However, it started to rain and everybody went for cover. I went for cover too but I kept on shooting and got an award winning shot.
So when stumped on what to shoot, just add water!
My Other Hubs On Photography
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my other hubs on photography. Here are some of them:
Nature-Abstract-in-Photography
How-to-Change-the-Mood-of-Your-Photos-Use-Layers-and-Blending-Options
