PHOTOGRAPHY FUN WITH A PHOTOGRAPHY FRIEND

We've been blessed with temperatures in the 80s in the Seattle area the last few days. Saturday evening, my photography buddy Joy and I headed out to enjoy the early taste of summer and practice our newly acquired knowledge about shutter speed. 

Our destination: Bellevue Downtown Park. The centerpiece of the park is a waterfall feature, the perfect place for a shutter speed exercise. 

Shutter speeds allows the photography to depict motion in her photograph. In the case of a waterfall, a fast shutter speed stops the fall of water in its tracks, so to say. A slow shutter speed, on the other hand, smooths the falling water, giving it an ethereal, hazy quality.

(When doing photography with Joy, you can be certain she will chronicle the endeavor.)

After reviewing my photographs at home, I wasn't thrilled with the results. We took our photographs during the Golden Hour, the magical hour of golden light before sunset. The light was indeed gorgeous, but the waterfall was in the shade, while above and behind the waterfall, the shining glass and metal buildings of downtown Bellevue were in bright sunlight. To make a long story short, I had issues with the exposure of the photographs that showed the waterfall against a backdrop of buildings. The waterfall was too dark; the buildings too bright. The exposure issue called for additional study, followed by a reshoot.

I did, however, get a couple of good shots of a Mallard duck and her drake at ease in the pool below the waterfall. I liked how the slow shutter speed had smoothed out the waves of the pool. The stillness of the ducks, the reflection of light off the softly rippling water gave the photograph an air of cool serenity. I added a filter to fade the color of the photograph, further enhancing the sense of restfulness.