Great Falls MD: Making Silky Waters With Neutral Density Filters!

You’ve seen the photos: waterfalls and rapids made to look like silky clouds spilling over the rocks.

It’s not that hard to do. Professional Photographer Alain Gutierrez can teach you a technique that will come in handy in all your future adventures in nature and landscape photography!

The answer is: a Neutral Density (ND) filter as the perfect tool for creating amazing long exposure images by day or by night.

Check out the pictures above, the first was done as a 4 second exposure, the next one at 10 seconds.

A common scene can turn into a fantastic image when we use ND filters. The Great Falls on the Maryland side are a perfect location for learning how to use the ND filters and take unique photos.

This is a great opportunity to learn and practice the techniques of photography using ND filters, early in the morning. To avoid the crowds and get first light of the day, we will meet at the Lock House on the Maryland side.

Learn how to control your camera, your slow shutter speed timer, and how to capture the scenery. Don’t forget to bring your tripod, it’s essential for this kind of photography. We also recommend that your bring a ND1000 or ND10 filter.

We will start with a 15-20-minute orientation on camera settings.

Here is what clients have  had to say about the safari:

Alain did a terrific job at last Sunday’s safari at Great Falls. He was just full of hands-on tips, creative ways to capture the rapids, help with settings, and sharing his many other photo resources. Most of all, I appreciate his energy & enthusiasm. Alain really liked being with us, so we liked being with Alain. So, just wanted to share a field report from the front lines of Photo Safari events. Cheers, Jim Q.

Thank you so much for your help and thoughts today.  It was a great workshop!   Paul F., Bethesda, MD

Yesterday’s Safari at Great Falls was great! Alain was a great instructor and inspirational photographer Learned a lot! Keep ’em coming! M. McCullough, Arlington, VA

The Safaris, of which this is my third or fourth, at least, are always interesting and enjoyable, not least because they are wonderfully open-ended and provide access to sites I would never normally see-and certainly not photograph. However, this one, for me was particularly “pertinent” as I had bought a set of neural-density filters immediately prior to the announcement of the class being posted. So, unlike the previous classes, I had a much more focused goal for this one-to learn the basics of the techniques-than I had in others. I was not disappointed, wonderful learning experience. Moreover, I discovered that Alain Gutierrez is a wonderful teacher; my take is if you see a course with his name attached, take it! Peter W., Davidsonville, MD on SWELL