South Umpqua River, Roseburg, Oregon

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 100, aperture: f/22, shutter: 4 seconds, circular polarizer filter, tripod: yes, cable release: yes

Most of us are drawn to water.  It has magnetic qualities and provides solace in a tumultuous world.  Water and photography go together like chocolate chip cookies and milk.  Well, something like that anyway.  The shutter speed is my key consideration when including water in a photograph.  Obviously the longer the shutter speed the more motion and blur will be conveyed in the photo.

This image was captured from the bank of the South Umpqua River in southwest Oregon.  The Umpqua Valley is know for its trophy fishery and in more recent years, world class wine.  Oregon’s oldest vineyards can be found in this part of the state.

The eddy in the foreground was collecting river foam and creating an interesting circular pattern on the water.  I used a 4 second shutter speed to capture the movement of the foam and water.  A polarizer was used to reduce the glare so the rocks on the streambed could be clearly seen.  Using a wide angle lens set to f/22 helps keep the near-to-far elements in focus.