How to Photograph Streams
- 1). Get a good angle. Walk along the stream for a bit to see what area catches your eye. For instance, you may be photographing a stream in the woods. Find where the woods are densest, greenest or make the best backdrop. Try the shot at different heights and angles to see which one captures it best.
- 2). Make the stream your centerpiece. Beware of leaving too much headroom, or space above the stream, or too much room below it. The stream could end up looking like an afterthought instead of the star of the shot.
- 3). Look for interesting specifics. That stream next to the woods makes a nice picture. That picture, however, can turn incredibly poetic if you happen to find deer tracks leading away from the stream, branches reaching into the water like starving hands, cool reflections or other interesting effects nature provides. Close-ups of fish in the stream, submerged rocks or the splash of a thrown rock are other options.
- 4). Watch the sun. As in any outdoor shots, you don’t want the sun blazing into the camera. Try to place your back to the sun for the best lighting. You can also use the sun to your advantage in stream shots if it is making a glorious reflection in the water.
- 5). Take several shots from varying distances. Once you find a shot that appears perfect, capture it several times. Zoom in and zoom out, crouch down or stand taller, move closer or farther away.
- 6). Get wet. One stream shot that may get forgotten is a shot from inside the stream. Don’t be afraid to go wading to add another set of possibilities to stream photography.
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