So, I'm reading through Ansel Adams book "The Camera" and he has a section where he talks about using long shutter speeds to control how water looks and his example photo looks almost identical to this shot I took up near my cabin a few years ago.
Not that I'm Ansel Adams or anything close, but it just goes to show, birds of a feather flock together. I took this shot because it is the type of scene I look for when I'm out in the woods or along streams. I know why I love landscape photography. I have a natural tendency to look for the same things he and all other true landscape photographers look for in the environment. It helps too if you already know where to go find certain things.
I've never been much for planning on stumbling upon a good scene when I have my camera. My best shots are almost always return trips to the scene. I've been returning to this particular stretch of stream for many years and each time I go there it looks different. Maybe someday, I'll take some folks with me. It's sort of a secret fishing hole for photography.
As for Ansel Adams, I personally love his work but I have never attempted to visit his scenes and duplicate his shots. Something that is quite popular with other photographers. There's no way I can replicate his exquisite compositions, so I always endeavor to find my own scenes to compose. I guess sooner or later though, if you take enough photographs, you'll end up with things that look the same as others have already done. Something to avoid in my opinion, but oh well...at least I've subconsciously found an Ansel Adams scene to replicate. I think I did a pretty good job on this shot too.
Some folks don't take well to these types of shots. I think people who
think or look for things in the abstract find them more appealing than
those who don't. I've had heated discussions with others on rather or
not water shots should be veiled (like this) or frozen. I prefer to
maintain a sense of motion where one exists, even if it doesn't look
precisely the way the eye will see it, so shutter speeds longer than 1/4
of a second are what I usually start with. Sometimes it is too bright
and you have to use a neutral density filter to get that longer shutter
speed. I always keep a 2 stop ND filter in my bag just for this purpose.
A shot like this will most often be at ISO 50 or ISO 100, f/16 and a
shutter speed longer than .25 seconds. You can totally forget about
attempting a shot like this if you aren't using a tripod.
Another important aspect of doing these shots is insuring you aren't overexposing the bright spots of the water flow. I prefer a cloudy day when doing this type of work. Specular highlights in the water can be interesting, but if it is overwhelming, the shot is toast. Sunshine beaming through the canopy can sometimes work to add drama but more often then not, it creates hot spots. Soft light is preferable in my opinion.
From a compositional standpoint, I still drift towards the rule of thirds, even if it's hard to see. There are some guys out there on the internet telling you that you don't have to follow the rules and that's okay too if you know what you're doing, but to me, breaking the scene into 9 rectangles seems to work for finding the overall balance, particularly with an image cropped to an 11x14 aspect ratio. I keep an eye on the main intersects and my rule of thirds may take a 3D approach though. 3 tiers of flow, 3 main elements of rock, 3 main falls, etc. The more combinations of 3 I end up with in the scene, the more happy I am. That's just me though, you should find your own scenic rhythm. Technical aspects stay pretty constant, deviations are going to be found in the artistic interpretations and compositions. Just don't guess at it. Make a choice and go for that choice.
One thing I've come to realize over the years. Fine Art Photography is seldom about making a realistic image of something. The camera does not see what your eye sees. You have to interpret what you're seeing by waving some mechanical beast ...in the air in front of it. The best images look real but aren't. It's just a momentary manipulation of light and sensibility. You won't find anything in nature that tastes like chocolate either, but it is still hard to imagine a world without it.
A not-so-smooth water shot. This was taken beneath the pier on Cape Hatteras using a Canon EOS 5D and the EF 24-105L IS lens (an excellent travel lens) @ ISO 400, 105mm, f/9 and 1/160 sec.