11 Creative Ideas for Photographing Water

You know that you need water to live. This is from a physical, biological point of view, but have you ever considered if you could live without water from a more poetic point of view? Many times I’ve heard people say “I couldn’t live without music” (neither did I) but I’ve never heard “I couldn’t live without water”. I guess it’s because of how obvious it is, but imagine if it wasn’t necessary to keep any living organism alive, that you could survive without water. Can you imagine your life without her? I do not.

I cannot imagine a world without the sea, without rivers, without rain, without springs or without the dew that bathes the flowers at dawn. Water is so present in our lives that we do not think that it could be missing, or what we would do if it did not exist, however we like water, we love it, we are passionate about it and that is why we love to portray it in any way. But it is also that water is very photogenic, it does not matter if you photograph it in the immensity of an ocean or in a tiny drop that falls from a branch. It always looks good in the photo. What yes? I ask you with the certainty that water has once appeared in a photo of you, as the protagonist or as a background, but surely you have portrayed it.

In today’s post I’m not going to tell you how to photograph water. I’m not going to give you advice for it, nor make a tutorial, no. Today I am going to make your imagination work. But I’m going to make it very, very easy for you. I’ll give you a few ideas to portray the water and from there, if you let your creativity free, I’m sure it will give you a few more ideas. Ideas call ideas! Do you want to meet them? So here we go, settle in!

1. Highlights

Reflections are one of the most appealing shapes to the eye when photographing water. This forms a reflective layer that acts practically like a mirror, offering as a result a symmetrical image, full of harmony and very pleasing to the eye. Reflections can be captured in a sea, a lake, or even a puddle. Very recently we dedicated the weekly challenge to reflections, they were not exclusively in the water but many of them. I encourage you to take a walk through the participation galleries and get some ideas.

2. Balloon burst

Shooting at the exact moment you pop a balloon filled with water results in a stunning image. This is something that happens so fast that no matter how much our eyes see it, our brain is not able to process it, which is why it is a totally unusual image for the viewer and therefore tremendously attractive.

You will need good lighting because this shot will need to be shot at very fast speeds to freeze the movement of the water. If you look for an assistant, it will make your task easier and, very importantly, don’t despair, if it doesn’t work out the first time, or the second time, keep trying, it will get better and better and when you get it you will feel so proud of yourself. that you want to give kisses!

3. Drops of water

Another task for which you will need to arm yourself with patience but with which you can achieve spectacular results is to photograph a drop of water. Surely you have already seen many similar images of water drops, but there are different variables that you can play with to achieve something more creative and original. Play with the background by changing the colors, ink the water in the container or that of the drops. For the latter you can use several dyes and drop several at the same time. Or you can do it all, there is no limit to creativity, you decide. Here you have a very interesting example (if you visit his gallery you will come across a lot of examples that are worth seeing). Don’t worry if you don’t know very well how to start, Mario tells you step by step how to photograph a drop of water without dying of despair.

4. Abstract

A moving reflection, a container of water, drops of oil and a colored filter, splashes of water on a colorful surface… There are many ways you can turn water into abstract art. Here are two examples, can you think of any more?

5. Dew on plants

The morning dew on the plants is pure visual poetry. If you’re not one of the earliest people in the world… here’s a trick: take a spray dispenser full of water and spray the plants you want to photograph with it, it won’t be the same but it might work 😉 . Here are some tips for photographing flowers and everything you need to know about plant photography (they can come in handy).

6.Splash

Or what comes to be the splash of water. A dive into the sea or the pool, a jump over a puddle or a full-pressure hose can result in fresh, fun images, with a lot of rhythm and, above all, very attractive. Here you have an example, but if you put “splash” in the search engine, you will find hundreds (or thousands… 😉 ).

7. Break the water

If it can be broken… I mean break its stillness, the smooth barrier that separates the water from the surface. A hitting hand, foot or any other object can be used to achieve an image similar to the one in the example. As you will see, the black background works spectacularly in these cases, but you can also try other backgrounds.

8. In the air

Look at this example, I imagine that it is fired at the same time that someone throws a container with water and the orange. Go ahead and try it, it doesn’t have to be an orange, it can be a strawberry, a tennis ball or whatever you can think of that might look good. It doesn’t have to be a white background either… invent, try and choose the option you like best. Of course, you will have to use someone to help you or a self-timer and tripod. oh! And expect that the ground will fill with water, so do it in a place where nothing will happen if liters of water fall, you will have to repeat it more than once 😉 .

9. In a glass

In a glass or any other pretty container. This example, according to its title, is made with champagne, but it could well be made with water. I advise you to practice the “shot at the cup” first because you will have to throw something inside so that the water jumps in this way and at the same time shoot… you better seek help, right? 😉

10. From the roof

Rainy days offer endless possibilities to photograph the water, one of them is the drops that fall from the ceiling. If you are one of the people to whom laziness wins most of the battles, this is your “ideal” idea, since it is not even necessary for you to go out on the street, it is worth having a balcony or similar.

11. In a spider web

See how beautiful it is when the rain (or a dispenser spray) bathes a spider web. Take a similar photo, but leaving your own mark. You will surely find a way, playing with perspective, composition, negative space…

To finish, I will leave you with some inspiring examples and remind you that it is you who has to play, have fun and experiment. These are just a few ideas to encourage you to try and find other ways. The only limits to creativity are in your head, it’s about time you broke them!

If you found it interesting or useful, I would appreciate it if you could share it on Google +, Twitter or Facebook so that others can also “get wet” 😉 . And I don’t even tell you how happy you make me if you give me a “Like”. Thank you and see you soon!