I don't like 1 all that much, 2 would be great if there was no blurring of the water at all (tricky in low light), and 3 is, well, cliché, but still good (and you didn't even use a tripod! 
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Which water image?
- Thread starter Glenn Wolsey
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The third one is by far the best! Yes it may be a little cliche, but who cares? Sometimes cliche is good, and in this case; it's definately better than the rest.
In the first shot the water is blurry, but not enough to impress a sense of motion. It just looks like it's out of focus or suffering from camera shake.
I've never been a big fan of water shots where the water is frozen. It sucks all the life and natural beauty out of the image. Water, especially in nature, is supposed to be flowing and lively. This just looks like plastic, and with such low light - dull.
In the final shot, the water is flowing, it's alive. There's a glow coming from the stream which brightens up the picture and gives it purpose. Plus it moves your focus through the picture.
Good work - pick #3!
In the first shot the water is blurry, but not enough to impress a sense of motion. It just looks like it's out of focus or suffering from camera shake.
I've never been a big fan of water shots where the water is frozen. It sucks all the life and natural beauty out of the image. Water, especially in nature, is supposed to be flowing and lively. This just looks like plastic, and with such low light - dull.
In the final shot, the water is flowing, it's alive. There's a glow coming from the stream which brightens up the picture and gives it purpose. Plus it moves your focus through the picture.
Good work - pick #3!
I would guess that the reason that number 3 is sort of widely used and considered the "classical" approach to shooting running water is that it matches our cognitive perception of running water.
For example, if you think of a water fall (without looking at a picture, or a waterfall) you certainly don't remember waterfalls looking anything like number 2. Truth be told, they don't look much like number 3 either...but because number 3 seems to be most aligned with our ability to cognitively classify the substance/motion combination that is a waterfall, we tend to accept those pictures a little more easily.
With regard to which picture is the best:
Cheesy or not, number 3 has the greatest potential. However, your slower shutter speed has led to blurriness in the background. The foliage in 3 is not as clear as the foliage in 2. Which sort of gives away the fact that the silkiness of the water flow is not natural. Number three would be better if you could assure absolute stillness during the long exposure so that the foliage and other objects in the background are as crisply focused as they are in your number 2. Tough thing to do with plants, as any kind of breeze will hurt your end results.
If this is what you have (no do-overs) and you have to pick one, go for three. But be prepared to explain away some of the lack of focus in the background.
For example, if you think of a water fall (without looking at a picture, or a waterfall) you certainly don't remember waterfalls looking anything like number 2. Truth be told, they don't look much like number 3 either...but because number 3 seems to be most aligned with our ability to cognitively classify the substance/motion combination that is a waterfall, we tend to accept those pictures a little more easily.
With regard to which picture is the best:
Cheesy or not, number 3 has the greatest potential. However, your slower shutter speed has led to blurriness in the background. The foliage in 3 is not as clear as the foliage in 2. Which sort of gives away the fact that the silkiness of the water flow is not natural. Number three would be better if you could assure absolute stillness during the long exposure so that the foliage and other objects in the background are as crisply focused as they are in your number 2. Tough thing to do with plants, as any kind of breeze will hurt your end results.
If this is what you have (no do-overs) and you have to pick one, go for three. But be prepared to explain away some of the lack of focus in the background.
A tripod is definitely essential. Even at 1/4s the background looks blurred from movement. In any case, I actually like 1&2 more for this shot. For the long exposure, 2 or 3 seconds tends to be the sweet spot. Just make sure you don't blow out the water.
I prefer the 3rd, but would've gone for a slightly longer exposure to make the water a bit smoother.Glenn Wolsey said:
My favorite goes from right to left. The 3rd one is amazing... the way it looks like the water is flowing is awesome. Nice job!
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